With much sadness and pain, Lebanon bid farewell to Pascal Sleiman, the coordinator of the Lebanese Forces in Jbeil.
The Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai presided over the funeral oration on Friday in the presence of the deceased’s family, his mother, and Lebanese Forces members at a political and mass gathering at Saint George Church in Jbeil.
“We are children of hope, children of life, and children of fearlessness. We do not and will not fear,” hammered al-Rai.
The Maronite Patriarch considered that commentators agree that “the primary reason facilitating politically covered crimes by influential figures is the failure to elect a president for the state, thus leading to a state of chaos in constitutional institutions and the proliferation of weapons among strangers.”
“Who benefits from this chaos and the decision of war and peace being made outside the state’s jurisdiction?” he asked.
Al-Rai highlighted the importance of knowing the motives of the crime and those behind it, as the truth will inevitably emerge, pointing out that “it is regrettable that the perpetrators of this crime are Syrian refugees, whom Lebanon welcomed with all humanity, and some of them have become a threat to the Lebanese in their own homeland.”
“It has become important to regulate their presence, and it is the duty of the Lebanese authorities to address this serious and dangerous issue through legal and procedural means, as Lebanon, struggling under crises, cannot bear the burden of half its population. This is beyond the capacity of the largest countries,” he said.
