The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Bishop Elias Audi. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — The Greek Orthodox archbishop of Beirut, Elias Audi, denounced Sunday the Lebanese political class in which "everyone acts according to their aspirations and calculations" in view of the election of the next president of the country and four days before a third parliamentary session devoted to electing President Michel Aoun's replacement.
Aoun's mandate expires on Oct. 31, raising fears of a presidential vacuum, especially after the failure of the first two parliamentary sessions to elect his successor.
"Everyone is working to form a government that does not represent the aspirations of the citizens but that satisfies the quotas of the different components" of the Lebanese political scene, Audi said in his homily Sunday. "Everyone wants to specify the characteristics of the president of the republic according to his aspirations and calculations, neglecting the fact that the country and its people are plunging into a bottomless pit," he continued, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Audi also noted that "officials welcome the success of the agreement on the maritime border with the help of a mediator," but he went on to ask, "Do they also need a mediator to settle their differences and to form a government, elect a president, start reforms?"
Aoun announced Thursday night Lebanon's approval of the final version of the agreement on the delineation of its maritime border with Israel, the result of a long negotiation process under the auspices of the United States.
"What good is the delimitation of the border, however important it may be, if the population lacks food, water, medicine, electricity, order, justice and stability?" Audi asked. He then pleaded for "the rapid start of a rescue operation."
"We need to delineate all the borders of our country so that they are respected," Audi said, in a reference to the northern and eastern border with Syria, which remains porous. "We also need to delineate the borders between the powers [within the state] so that each one can play its role, away from interference in the other powers," Audi concluded.