Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai at a mass in Bsharreh, Aug. 26, 2024. (Credit: The Maronite Patriarchate Facebook page)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai is no longer mincing his words. “Maronites are marginalized in the state,” he said in his Sunday homily, referring to the almost two-year-long vacuum in the presidency, a seat reserved for his community. “The country is going through the most dangerous phase in its history. We must also remember Lebanon’s golden age, during which power was [mainly] in the hands of the Maronites,” he added. Rai said, “The country’s unity teetered only when the Maronites’ role was marginalized.”This is the first time the patriarch has touched that clearly on the political weight of the Maronites, who feel that power has slipped out of their hands since the end of the Civil War in 1990 and the signing of the Taif Accords, which transferred most of the presidential executive power to the cabinet. Read also Geagea demands...
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai is no longer mincing his words. “Maronites are marginalized in the state,” he said in his Sunday homily, referring to the almost two-year-long vacuum in the presidency, a seat reserved for his community. “The country is going through the most dangerous phase in its history. We must also remember Lebanon’s golden age, during which power was [mainly] in the hands of the Maronites,” he added. Rai said, “The country’s unity teetered only when the Maronites’ role was marginalized.”This is the first time the patriarch has touched that clearly on the political weight of the Maronites, who feel that power has slipped out of their hands since the end of the Civil War in 1990 and the signing of the Taif Accords, which transferred most of the presidential executive power to the cabinet. Read...