Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, praised the humanitarian truce in Gaza, saying: ‘We pray that the truce will become a permanent ceasefire, and the beginning of resolving problems through negotiation. We also thank God for stopping the tension in southern Lebanon, and we pray that the south will regain its calm.’

Al-Rahi addressed in his sermon the Lebanese officials by saying: ‘Deprive yourself of your personal, factional, and sectarian interests, so that the Lebanese family will regain the beauty of living with its unity in diversity and coexistence, Christians and Muslims, with mutual respect and cooperation.’

He stressed: “We do not accept the continued violation of the Constitution, specifically Article 49 of it, at the expense of the establishment of the state and its institutions. You have deliberately not elected a President of the Republic for a year and a month, while the very delicate regional conditions require the presence of protection for the state in the person of the P
resident.”

The Patriarch also emphasized that ‘the winds are moving towards arrangements in the region, and we do not accept that the election of the President of the Republic is dependent on a person, project, or purpose linked to influence,’ explaining that Article 49 of the Constitution stipulates that the President of the Republic is the symbol of the nation’s unity.

“When the Taif Agreement transformed the President of the Republic from a procedural authority, it wanted him as the head of state, that is, the state with its land, its people, and its institutions, especially the two basic institutions, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, in terms of controlling the coordination of its work,” he went on.

Al-Rai also stressed that ‘[the Patriarchate] will not accept, even for a single day, the absence of the President of the Republic, the chaos of the government, and the multiplicity of presidents, nor will it accept attempts to undermine the unity of the country and the army, its stability, sel
f-confidence, and its leadership, especially since the country and its security are on the brink of a volcano.’

He addressed the officials, saying: ‘Venture immediately in accordance with the Constitution and elect a president of the republic, then all political problems will be solved and all state institutions will return.’

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon