Rai receives Maronite League new council

The new council of the Maronite League, chaired by Maroun Helou, was received Tuesday by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al Rai at the patriarchal seat in Bkirki. This was the new council and its president's first visit to the patriarchate since their unanimous election the previous day, for a term of three years.

Helou stated that the council and its members had come to seek the patriarch's "blessing" for their mandate. "We are emerging from five difficult decades in Lebanon; this new [presidential] mandate and the latest developments in the region are a rare opportunity that the Lebanese must seize to save their country," he declared. He lamented that the Lebanese had failed to seize other opportunities in the past, particularly Maronite Christians. "For this reason, they must reorganize their society and renew their role, both in Lebanon and in the region," he said.

President Joseph Aoun's term began on Jan. 9, 2025. It followed a destructive war between Hezbollah and Israel, and after years of economic and financial crisis. Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have generated much hope for reforms and strengthening state control over the entire territory.

Emphasizing the need to restore confidence in Lebanon, Helou specified that the motto of his mandate will be "rooting and renewal," calling for modernizing his organization's actions while anchoring them in the ancient values of Maronitism. He also referred to the council's unanimous election, interpreting this "rare fact" as "a need among Maronite elites to reduce tensions and gather their wits, in an environment suffering from unhealthy competition and ancient divisions."

For his part, Rai also noted the "new hope" observed in Lebanon since the advent of the new presidential mandate. "Lebanon's rebirth is not solely the responsibility of leaders; everyone has a role to play in it," he continued.

The new council of the Maronite League consists of President Maroun Helou, Vice President Nassib Nasr and 15 other members: Antoine Amatoury, Elie Assaf, Elie Mikhael, Patricia Hawat Alam, Paul Youssef Kanaan, Jouhaina Mounayyar Haikal, Ramez Daher, Rami Chidiac, Chakib Chehab, Tanios Najm, Lahoud Majid Lahoud, Mounir Akiki, Mikhael Abboud, Nathalie Khoury and Youssef Ammar.