Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai on March 19, 2023. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai again on Sunday lamented Lebanon's ongoing crises; meanwhile, several Christian MPs have reportedly accepted an invitation from the patriarch to a "day of prayer," the state-run National News Agency reported.
Rai said during his Sunday homily that as a result of obstructing the election of a new president for Lebanon, "the parliament, the government, ministries and public administrations have been paralyzed."
"Here lies the chaos and corruption, dismantling the state, impoverishing citizens and causing them to die of starvation, disease and suicide," he added.
Instructed by Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader, MP Gebran Bassil, MPs Nicolas Sehnaoui, Cesar Abi Khalil and George Atallah visited Rai in Bkirki on Sunday and informed him that the party's MPs have accepted his invitation to a day of prayer, according to the NNA.
The Maronite Patriarchate had invited all 64 Lebanese Christian MPs from various sects to a "day of prayer" on Wednesday, April 5, in the runup to the Easter holiday.
"In these times of Lent, we hope to be able to gather Christian MPs and the leaders of their parliamentary groups for a spiritual retreat," Rai said last Sunday in his homily. He had previously announced his intention to convene all Christian parties for a dialogue on the presidential elections. Rai recently drew up a list of 10 potential consensus candidates for the presidency, which L'Orient-Le Jour obtained.
In an interview in Al-Anba' newpaper published Sunday morning, Kataeb party MP Elias Hankash confirmed that his party would attend the retreat.
In a tweet published on Saturday, MP Adib Abdelmassih also confirmed his presence at the meeting "as a representative of the Renewal parliamentary bloc, in its Christian and Muslim components." The Renewal bloc is made up of MPs Michel Moawad (Zgharta), one of the official presidential candidates, Ashraf Rifi (Tripoli), Adib Abdelmassih (Koura) and Fouad Makhzoumi (Beirut II).
'Lebanon without a partnership does not exist'
"The word of God liberates and unites. And any other speech that comes from personal, factional and sectarian interests is captured in rigid positions, and thus divides, distances and disrupts the course of public life," Rai also said Sunday.
"The political authority should strengthen interdependence and integration among citizens," he added.
Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term in office ended on Oct 31. A lack of political consensus has meant that MPs have still not managed to elect a successor despite holding 11 electoral sessions in Parliament. Bkirki advocates a third way out of the impasse reached as a result of the Sleiman Frangieh-Michel Moawad confrontation in the presidential election. Amal and Hezbollah have formalized their support for Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement, while leaving the door open for dialogue around an alternate candidate. Moawad is supported by many of the opposition MPs, but has not managed to gather sufficient votes to ensure his victory.
The commander-in-chief of the army, Gen. Joseph Aoun, is also a potential candidate for the role of head of state, a position traditionally reserved for Maronites. FPM leader Bassil has so far stated that he is opposed to all three names: Frangieh, Moawad and Aoun.
Meanwhile, Jaafarite Mufti Ahmad Kabalan, addressing Rai, said in a statement on Sunday, "Lebanon without a partnership does not exist, and the partnership awaits you, and there is no more time because Lebanon is in the fourth stage of collapse, and public utilities and institutions have ended or almost ended … and chaos, crime and displacement are eating Lebanon, and security risks are at their highest indicators."
Accusing the United States of meddling in Lebanon's political affairs, Kabalan said that the country is "now in the last meters of the last chance, and the whole country is dependent on a presidential settlement while half of the political settlement is dependent on American permission."
"There is no rescue without Parliament and the key to the solution is not through a game of votes, but rather a consensual national settlement," he added.
Commenting on the political deadlock in Lebanon, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Elias Audi, for his part, expressed hope on Sunday that "the MPs will transcend their differences and disagreements, and that they will converge and dialogue and reach a solution to a long-running crisis."
"Everyone should prioritize the goal of saving Lebanon over the goal of attaining power, and give priority to the language of reason, dialogue and wisdom over intransigence and confrontation," Audi added. "Our internal unity is the strongest weapon in the face of any problem, interference or crisis, and learning from past mistakes and conflicts is the characteristic of wise people who are aware of the seriousness of the situation."