Lebanese religious leader shames MPs for failing nation’s people
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Raven Ruma
- . December 12, 2022
- . Update: December 12, 2022 7:59 pm
On Sunday, the head of the Maronite Church in Lebanon unleashed a scathing attack on the political elite of the nation, accusing them of failing the Lebanese people as well as the rest of the globe.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi pleaded for immediate international action to help improve Lebanon’s grave political and economic condition in his sermon on Sunday. He also criticised lawmakers for failing to do their civic duties.
The political and parliamentary group’s actions, according to Al-Rahi, are in direct opposition to the principles on which Lebanon was founded.
“It does not respect the principles of the National Pact, Taif (Agreement), cooperation, pluralism, independence, and formation of Lebanon.”
“Is it a conscious intention to destroy the current Lebanon and create on its rubble a draught state that is unrelated to its inhabitants, its past, or its surroundings?”
The Catholic leader’s remarks came after MPs failed to pick a new president for a ninth time, with many lawmakers spoiling their ballots on Thursday. “This indicates that they either do not want to elect a president or do not meet the requirements to do so.”
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Al-Rahi emphasised that all parties needed to put their differences aside in order to maintain the respect of the international community and the trust of the Lebanese people.
He repeated his call for the UN and other major decision-making countries to be drafted into aid before it was too late because it appeared that there would be no internal answers to the challenges.
In his sermon, he claimed that too many of Lebanon’s decision-makers had rejected internationalisation and desired no resolution to the Lebanese crisis, accusing them of failing to implement the word and spirit of the Taif Agreement.
“Lebanon will either be what they want it to be, or it won’t. Let everyone know, however, that Lebanon will be as all of its devoted sons desire.”
