Rai: We pray for the success of negotiations with Israel and the avoidance of war

BKIRKI — In his Christmas homily, Bechara Rai, head of the Maronite Church, called on Wednesday for a successful resolution to security negotiations with Israel and for Lebanon to avert a return to war, as the country continues to face Israeli strikes despite a truce reached in November 2024.

Rai thanked Pope Francis “for the message of peace he delivered to the Lebanese,” recalling that following the pope’s visit in late November, “U.S. and Israeli approval was given for the launch of security negotiations and the implementation of Resolution 1701 and related matters, through the mechanism chaired by Ambassador Simon Karam.”

“We pray for the success of these negotiations, for the specter of war to be kept at bay, and for the Lebanese Army to gather illegal weapons and place them exclusively in the hands of the state, so that it can extend its sovereignty over all Lebanese territory,” the patriarch said.

In early December, President Joseph Aoun appointed Karam, former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, as the civil and diplomatic representative in the cease-fire monitoring committee, which had previously included only military members. The move was intended to signal Lebanon’s willingness to negotiate with Israel, which had warned of rapid escalation if Hezbollah remained armed. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army is implementing a five-phase plan to disarm Hezbollah, with the first phase nearing completion south of the Litani River.

Our reporters on the ground

Residents in Akkar's Sheikh Mohammed celebrate Christmas with heavy hearts

Economic and financial reform

Rai also urged political leaders to “make reform a priority and not just a slogan, to make transparency a principle and not an exception, and to make justice a fundamental right and not a concession.” He stressed that “economic and financial reform is no longer an option but an existential necessity, which begins with the restoration of trust, the organization of public finances, the protection of citizens’ funds, the guarantee of their rights and the assurance of a minimum level of stability worthy of life’s conditions.”

His comments come as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government reviews a bill to restitute deposits frozen in Lebanese banks since the 2019 economic crisis.

The patriarch concluded by calling on leaders “to choose reconciliation over division, dialogue over paralysis and public interest over narrow interests,” adding that “the homeland is not built through domination, nor is it governed by constant quarrels, but by encounters, joint work and the ability to make reciprocal concessions for Lebanon.”