Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai considered that “the obstinacy in preventing the election of a President of the Republic undermines the (national) pact and the ‘culture of unity in diversity’ because the President is the guarantor of national unity and his absence leads to the disintegration of the Lebanese family.”
In his Sunday sermon, Rai emphasized that “the ‘culture of unity in diversity’ is at the heart of the Lebanese system and entity as established by the founders in the National Pact of 1943 and renewed in the Taif Agreement of 1989.” He continued, “This culture is founded on living together through equality in the exercise of power.”
For Rai, national unity requires “reforms within the institutions of the State and their structure to guarantee the interests of citizens.” But it also means “being a messenger of peace and understanding between the peoples of the Arab region and the world, respecting human rights and keeping (Lebanon) free from conflict.”
To this end, the patriarch urged neutrality on the part of the government, which “must not take sides in international and regional crises, except when it comes to major Arab causes.” Additionally, “the central power must remain neutral and not take sides with any community or faction in internal crises,” he stressed.
In conclusion, he called on “the political forces to work to strengthen the bonds of the Lebanese family in order to face the current regional dangers together.”
