Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — In his Sunday homily in Bkirki, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai accused some Lebanese politicians of "still thinking of postponing the presidential session" scheduled for Jan. 9, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Lebanon has been without a president for more than two years as several electoral sessions failed to elect a new president. After refraining from calling for new elections for more than a year, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri finally scheduled an electoral session for Jan. 9.
"The issue in Lebanon today is the loss of confidence among politicians in themselves, each other and the institutions of the state as evidenced today by the fact that a president has not been elected for two years and two months," Rai said.
"They are waiting for the name of the president from abroad, which is a great shame, although we appreciate and thank friendly countries for their keenness to elect the president and encourage them to push forward with his election," he added.
Rai said that, 10 days before the scheduled session, some are still "thinking of postponing the election, waiting for some notice from abroad."
"This is a disadvantage and is completely unacceptable. Beware of playing with this crucial date," he stressed.
He added that the politicians' lack of confidence in each other is evident in the number of "declared, hidden or unannounced candidates."
"Confidence in state institutions is lacking, because some politicians do not care about these institutions, the first of which is the parliament, which ... has been suspended for two years and two months from its legislative mission."
Rai said that the next president needs to restore the confidence of politicians in themselves, in each other and in the state and its institutions. He also had to "build internal unity among all Lebanese with mutual love, based on Lebanese citizenship, loyalty to Lebanon and equality before the law."
Also on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut, Elias Audi, criticized wars generally, saying as reported by NNA, "How many decisions we make in a moment of anger can take the lives of many spiritually, psychologically and, in the worst cases, physically? How many wars have been started by tyrants, because of which thousands of innocent people died, and they remained in power, oppressing, deciding and planning to shed other innocent blood?”
The Hezbollah-Israel conflict claimed the lives of over 4,000 people in Lebanon from October 2023 to November 2024.
