JOUNIEH, Lebanon: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea urged Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to the state, warning that regional policies that have long protected the party’s arsenal were fading in the wake of the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world.

Geagea, who was speaking Saturday at the annual Mass to pay tribute to LF martyrs, also urged Christians not to let fear isolate them from events in the region.

“The existence of illegitimate weapons in Lebanon is no longer justified or acceptable, particularly in light of major [regional] changes and the collapse of equations that created it,” the LF leader said, addressing thousands of loyalists who had gathered at Fouad Chehab Stadium.

Hundred of buses and cars transporting supporters headed as early as 10.a.m Saturday to participate in the late afternoon Mass, which was led by former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir in his most prominent public appearance since his resignation in February.

Sfeir, who was a staunch critic of Hezbollah’s weapons and Syrian intervention in Lebanese affairs during his 25-year tenure, was welcomed with sustained applause from the crowds as he entered the stadium and walked down the red carpet to the altar.

Behind the altar, two screens scrolled through the names of thousands of martyrs, listed in alphabetical order, throughout the Mass.

In his opening remarks, Geagea said: “Rest assured, we will follow forever in your footsteps where no one dares, just like you dared when no one did,” and the leader vowed that the LF, like its martyrs, would not bow to threats or intimidation.

“Christians in the East were always and will remain where no one dared. We fear no one; we will fear no one and need no one’s assurances. We will not accept blackmail, intimidation or threats,” he said.

Christians in the Middle East should not remain only bystanders to events that are happening in Syria, Geagea added, dismissing concerns over the rise of religious extremism in the event of the collapse of the ruling regime in Damascus.

“Christians in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Egypt do not live in fear … engage in the heart of the suffering people of the region without fear,” Geagea said, adding that “the need for this can be seen in the suffering of Syrian villages every day.”

Geagea’s statements in support of the popular uprising in Syria came shortly after Sfeir’s successor, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, voiced concerns for the fate of Christians over the possible rise to power of extremist Islamist movements if President Bashar Assad’s regime falls.

Rai came under indirect fire from March 14 parties that condemned his remarks, which the patriarch later said were taken out of context.

Geagea said it was the responsibility of Christians in the Middle East to ensure that they do not slide into isolationism, dismissing arguments by March 8 Christian parties that the presence of Assad’s Alawite minority in power was a guarantee to Christians against the rise of Sunni extremism.

“The party that is killing our brothers at home, or in Syria or in the region, or in the world, without mercy or pity, is not the party that we should be allied with. The so-called minority alliance is in fact an alliance of minorities of money and power irrespective of its sect,” Geagea said.

Criticizing Syria’s allies in Lebanon, Geagea denounced the support by Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet for Syrian authorities in their bloody crackdown on opposition groups.

“The government’s position places Lebanon in conflict with its cultural heritage and history as well as in confrontation with the Arab League and the international community,” the LF leader said.

Geagea said Hezbollah dictated Lebanon’s foreign agenda and key policies, under the threat of their weapons.

The LF leader also reiterated his support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which indicted four Hezbollah members in June in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Unlike previous years, representatives of Lebanon’s top three officials did not attend the Mass. Besides representatives of Lebanese Army commander Jean Kahwagi and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, only Geagea’s allies in the March 14 alliance were represented.

Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel attended the ceremony along with a large number of March 14 lawmakers, while Future Movement leader Saad Hariri was represented by Beirut MP Nuhad Mashnouq.

Before concluding his speech, Geagea hailed Sfeir as a historic figure among Maronite patriarchs of a Church with a long history of resistance against oppression.

Geagea’s praise for Sfeir was welcomed with sustained and loud applause for several minutes, from both political officials and supporters, that did not stop until the former patriarch stood up from his seat to express his gratitude.

Sfeir, who was approached with a microphone by an organizer before Geagea took the stand to give his speech, avoided making any political comments and said in few words: “I hope that all Lebanese women and men witness better days than the current miserable days.”