Rai calls to prevent Lebanon from being ‘sold or abandoned’

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai called on Friday evening during a mass to “preserve” Lebanese territory so that it is not “sold, neglected, or abandoned,” and emphasized the unity of the Lebanese people.

In his homily, delivered before several MPs and security officials at the Sarba eparchy in Keserwan, the head of the Maronite Church compared Lebanon to “a fertile land, rich in spirituality and culture,” which nonetheless “needs those who protect it and prevent it from drying up and being divided.” According to him, the homeland can only be built “on the fruits of justice, respect for values and service to the common good … and there is no salvation for Lebanon if it remains burdened by corruption, division, and marginalization.”

The patriarch stressed the importance of preserving the land and preventing it from being “sold, neglected, and even emptied of its inhabitants,” noting that the country remains “weighed down by economic, social and political burdens, and anxiety about its destiny.”

Cardinal Rai also called on all leaders, citizens, workers, and young Lebanese not to seek individual salvation, but to unite “in returning to God and around the values of truth, justice and partnership.”

The call from the Maronite religious leader comes after more than two months of political polarization in Lebanon over the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. In early September, the government of Nawaf Salam decided to disarm the pro-Iranian group, but the party refuses to relinquish its arsenal, while its critics in Lebanon and the United States are pushing for its rapid disarmament.

Meanwhile, although a cease-fire agreement was signed on Nov. 27, 2024, ending more than thirteen months of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the Israeli army continues to occupy several positions in southern Lebanon and conducts almost daily strikes, primarily in that part of the country.

Raï appelle à empêcher que le Liban soit « vendu ou déserté »