The Maronite Patriarch calls for an international conference to save Lebanon

Patriarch Moran Mor Bechara Boutros al-Rahi shouted harsh words of rebuke to the "partner in the crime" political class, warning against the use of extreme options at the hands of the Lebanese.

Maronite Patriarch, Mor Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, called on Sunday to hold an international conference for Lebanon sponsored by the United Nations to save the Lebanese presence, directing harsh words of rebuke to the ruling class, who said that their silence about settling the stifling political and economic crisis is "part of the crime."

The government vacuum prevails in Lebanon since last August, after the government resigned after the massive explosion in the Beirut port, which killed more than two hundred people and injured more than 6,500 people, amid a state of general popular frustration towards politicians.

In the Sunday sermon in Beirut, Al-Rahi said, "Lebanon's collapsed situation necessitates that its case be presented at an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations that establishes Lebanon in its modern constitutional frameworks based on the unity of the entity, the system of neutrality and the provision of permanent guarantees for the Lebanese presence."

"Silence is part of the crime against Lebanon and its people, and the washing of hands is a complicity in the crime. It is no longer permissible for any official to evade responsibility and the national duties that have been entrusted to him under any pretext," Al-sponsor added, directing his speech to the politicians.

He added, "There is a great gap between the two parties. The holders of power are in one place with their interests, their accounts and their shares, and the people are in another place with their poverty, deprivation and hunger. We were counting with confidence on forming a government of a national mission to rescue, as the beginning of an attempt to bridge the gap. Responsible for meeting and understanding. "

In the sermon, the shepherd said, "Our people are dying, and the state is a dead conscience. All the countries of the world have sympathized with the people of Lebanon except for their country. Is there a greater crime than this? We called and they did not hear. We asked, but they did not answer. We took the initiative and did not respond. We will not tire of demanding the right. Rather, he remains here. He will rise again in the street and demand his rights, he will revolt, and be held accountable. Your negativity is forcibly pushing him towards negativity. " 

Protests have erupted in Lebanon since late 2019 and led after 12 days to topple the government of Saad Hariri, of which the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah were among the most prominent pillars.

The Maronite Patriarch added, addressing the political class, “Your disdain for the people's pain and tragedies is pushing them forcibly towards extreme options. On top of that, all the Lebanese, Arab and international initiatives and mediations have been exhausted to no avail, as if there is an insistence on bringing down the state with all that it represents in terms of privacy, values, constitution, system and national partnership.”

He also said, "We, on our part, will not accept fate because we are children of the will, nor will we accept fate because we are the owners of our destiny. We will not accept this deviation because we are people of the straight line, nor demolition because we are people of construction. We will not accept the fait accompli because we are the people of legitimacy and the constitution, nor complicity because we are people of a national position. We will follow this national position until Lebanon is saved. "

Al-Ra'i said, referring to the assassination of the Lebanese activist Luqman Salim, "We have been full of wars, discord and resorting to arms." We have been full of assassinations, and in the last two days our hearts and the hearts of everyone have bloodied the martyrdom of the activist Luqman Mohsen Salim. ”

He considered that“ his assassination is an assassination of the other free opinion, and a new drive to put an end to every uncontrolled weapon that is gradually eliminating the best of the nation. ”On 

Thursday, the security forces found Salim The 58-year-old, one of the most prominent opponents of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah that dominates the institutions of government in Lebanon, was killed in his car in the Zahrani region (south), hours after his disappearance.

Source: Website