Rai: 'A head of state is the only guarantee of unity in diversity'

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai urged on Thursday for the swift election of a president to uphold Lebanon's diverse identity and emphasized the need to end the armed clashes between Hezbollah and Israel along the country's southern border.

In a homily delivered at the summer patriarchal residence in Dimane (North Lebanon) for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Rai declared, "A monochrome Lebanon is not Lebanon. Lebanon under a single party or a single opinion imposed by an individual or group is not Lebanon. Lebanon with only one religion is not Lebanon."

"Lebanon needs to elect a president, as a head of state is the only guarantee of unity in diversity ... A president is the symbol of national unity."

Lebanon has been in a state of presidential vacuum since late Oct. 2022 due to a lack of political consensus on the identity of the future president.

Rai also called for prayers that "the war stops in the South and peace is established in South Lebanon and Gaza, and that God inspires those obstructing the presidential election to fulfill their national duty."

The patriarch has been condemning the near-daily clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, which began on Oct. 8, following the Gaza conflict.