Rai celebrates mass for martyrs of ‘Lebanese resistance’

Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai celebrated a Mass on Sunday for the repose of the souls of the martyrs of the "Lebanese resistance" at the Notre-Dame Church in Mayfuq (Jbeil), as part of the country commemorated the 43rd anniversary of former president Bachir Gemayel, who was assassinated during the 1975-90 civil war.

In his homily, the head of the Maronite Church emphasized that "Lebanon is not a battlefield, but a haven of freedom and human dignity," affirming that "the martyrs of the Lebanese resistance have become a resounding cry, declaring that Lebanon can only live in freedom and sovereignty." "Fifty years after the outbreak of the [civil] war, we are still asking ourselves what it taught us and what we have gained from the destruction," he added.

On Oct. 22, 1989, 58 Lebanese MPs signed a "National Reconciliation Accord" in Taif, Saudi Arabia, after three weeks of negotiations. The accord, instigated by a "troika" mandated by the Arab League and composed of Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia, sought to end nearly 15 years of civil war.

While this agreement is viewed by most of the political class as a founding act, some of the fundamental reforms it called for — such as dissolving all militias and handing over their weapons to the Lebanese state, and abolishing political confessionalism — have still not been implemented.