Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed the need to “encourage Christians (in Syria) to get involved in national and political work.”
In his Sunday homily in Bkerke, Archbishop Rai affirmed that “it is essential to unite all components of Syrian society to collaborate in rebuilding the country,” stressing the importance of “building a Syria based on citizenship and equality, without religious, confessional, ethnic or cultural discrimination.”
“Syria is the cradle of Christianity, deeply rooted in its territory since its beginnings,” he added. He described the meeting between Hay'at Tahrir el-Sham, the bishops of Aleppo and the priests of Damascus as “reassuring,” expressing his wish to see this collaboration continue “in the same spirit.” “The bishops and priests have expressed their desire to work together and participate in the management of public affairs in the interests of Syrian citizens in general and Christians in particular,” the patriarch argued.
“Christians must live out their natural and active presence within Syrian society, being an authentic and essential component of it,” he insisted.
Turning to Lebanon, Archbishop Rai declared that he was accompanying “with prayer” the consultations being carried out by the parliamentary blocs with a view to the election of a new President of the Republic on January 9. In this context, he expressed the hope that the MPs “will reach agreement on one or more candidates, thus enabling successive ballots until the most qualified president is elected.”
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