The Metropolitan of Beirut, Elias Audi, declared on Sunday that the Lebanese “have become accustomed to carrying a heavy cross in a country whose responsibility should be to guarantee a decent and safe life for its people.”
During his homily, Audi lamented the fact that the people have been carrying cross after cross for decades, without having seen a resurrection. “Wars, assassinations, bombings, the explosion in the heart of Beirut, the plundering of wealth, the destruction of the economy, education and the health sector, as well as all the vital sectors – all this is suffered by the people, and there is no rescue plan that can put right a country in ruins, with a people crumbling under the weight of the sins of its leaders and elites,” he said.
“Weapons out of control, porous borders, flouted sovereignty, a violated Constitution, a directionless state, institutions parallel to state institutions. Is there any country in the world that would accept such a situation? Does Lebanon deserve all this?” he asked.
Furthermore, the Metropolitan of Beirut stated that “the people may have made a mistake in choosing their representatives and in not demanding a fair and transparent accounting, which could lead to the resurrection of the nation that its children deserve. Their greatest mistake may be to follow untrustworthy men instead of following Christ.”
He concluded, “Those who run this country think that they’ll stay in their positions forever, not realizing that sickness and death spare no one. Everything they have accumulated in terms of wealth, titles, positions and possessions will remain on earth, adding only a moment to their lives when the time comes. They will take with them only the good and bad deeds they have committed. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”
