Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai offered on Sunday a message of hope and responsibility to a Lebanese nation grappling with deep political and economic turmoil.
“Today, Lebanon is living through a time fraught with challenges, but it is also a time of new opportunities and renewed hope,” Rai said, addressing the faithful gathered at the patriarchal seat in Bkerke.
Speaking against the backdrop of a country mired in institutional paralysis, widespread public disillusionment and enduring economic hardship, Rai urged the nation to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, a force he described as capable of reviving both individual and collective responsibility.
Rai emphasized that spiritual renewal should translate into political transformation. He called for a shift away from “separatist rhetoric and destructive personal interests,” and toward a political language grounded in unity and service to the common good. “This divine force,” he said, “would renew the language and practices of the political world and reawaken a national conscience.”
The Patriarch also reflected on the aspirations of the Lebanese people, highlighting their yearning for honest leadership and institutional stability.
“Citizens aspire to honest leadership, stable institutions, sincere cooperation between the various components of the country and a spirit of renewal within public structures,” he concluded.
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