 Rose affirmed in the same letter that "Bishop Tubia has given indication that his sternness is pliable; there have been secret requests on his part for permission to import corn duty free for his own house".Bishop Aoun's role in the 1860 Civil War and its aftermath were much spoken of in the press and memoirs of the European diplomats who witnessed these events.In genuine calculated colonial strategy, their sentiments often shifted according to geopolitical alliances, with the Protestant British often at odds with the Bishop, and the Catholic French applauding his humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.