The Maronite League stigmatized, “in the strongest and clearest terms, the criminal slander and denigration campaign” waged against the Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Rai, “by a suspicious group which has become accustomed to giving lessons in terms of patriotism.”
The head of the Maronite Church was recently accused by Hezbollah’s electronic army of being the “Arab-speaking spokesman for the Israeli army” because he stigmatized Hezbollah’s military campaign against Israel and its repercussions on the inhabitants of the South in his Sunday sermon, while rejecting “the culture of death,” in allusion to the ideology of the pro-Iranian group.
In a statement on Monday, the League rejected “this approach in dealing with spiritual and national issues and the immoral and unpatriotic accusations leveled against those who make them,” stressing the need to “put an end” to such practices which can “threaten national unity in these critical circumstances.”
Furthermore, the League argued that “the Maronite Patriarchate’s history in defending just causes does not require the testimony of those who need testimonies of refinement, etiquette and good conduct. Bkerke has been a haven of dignity, freedom and support for the oppressed since the dawn of time,” it added.
