Rai: Officials must ask themselves if their actions reflect the mandate entrusted to them

BEIRUT — Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai used his Sunday homily at the Church of Our Lady at the Patriarchate headquarters in Bkirki (Kesrouan) to warn Lebanese officials that words alone are not enough to uphold democracy, implicitly addressing parliamentary elections and the diaspora vote.

"Those who believe in democracy do not stop at words but open the way to full participation for every Lebanese," Rai said. "Those who claim to serve the people do not prevent the Lebanese — or certain Lebanese — from fully participating in decision-making. National salvation is not found in speeches, but in actions that reflect faith in genuine citizenship."

He urged officials to reflect on their responsibilities: "Every Lebanese official should ask themselves if their actions satisfy God and the people, if they are faithful to the mandate bestowed upon them, and if they are contributing to the building of the state, not to its division."

The issue of the Lebanese diaspora — who outnumber residents — method of voting in the May legislative elections has fueled debate. Under current law, expatriates are allocated six seats in Parliament in addition to the 128 held by resident parliamentarians. A bill supported by more than half of MPs would suspend that allocation and allow expatriates to vote for the 128 deputies according to their place of origin in Lebanon. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, also head of the Amal Movement, has refused to put the bill on the agenda, a position supported by his ally Hezbollah. Critics suspect the two parties fear the sway of the expatriate Shiites, who are less influenced by them than residents. The government has approved a draft law aligned with the proposal, but it still requires parliamentary approval.

Rai also called on officials to "prioritize the public interest over private interests." He added, "There is no other way to build a state but through honesty and justice: whoever uses their faith for the public good builds a stable state, while those who use religion and politics for their own purposes destroy the country."

The patriarch criticized the manipulation of truth in public life, citing a scandal at the Lebanese University (LU) involving alleged fake diplomas. "In reality, as its president explained, it happened in one of its branches that sums were paid to employees to falsify diplomas by forging professors' signatures and awarding unearned grades to certain students," Rai said. He praised "the intervention of the president who, following an investigation, cleared some administrative officials and dismissed others," noting the university's good reputation among its 60,000 students.

The LU administration formally denied involvement in the scandal on Nov. 1. Fifteen people are currently being prosecuted in the case, which first emerged in October.

Audi: 'What are our authorities waiting for?'

Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audi also criticized the state's inaction amid the country's ongoing crises. During his Sunday homily in Beirut, he recalled that the Lebanese have suffered from the absence of a strong state for 50 years. "The exceptional situation that persists prevents a breach in the wall blocking the return of stability and security, under a state that would protect all its citizens and treat them equally."

Audi added, "The whole world has overtaken us, even those whom we claimed to support," referencing the cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza while Lebanon continues to face instability from the 2023 war initiated by Hezbollah as a “support front,” despite the cease-fire in place since last November.

"Will we remain in this state of instability and hesitation, or should we push our leaders to act?" he asked. He concluded with a call to urgent action: "What are our authorities waiting for to take the necessary decisions and measures to lift Lebanon and the Lebanese out of this stalemate and despair, toward a new dawn everyone dreams of?"