Maronite Patriarch al-Bechara Rai presiding over a mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa on May 3, 2026. (Credit: National News Agency)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai condemned, without referring to it explicitly, the smear campaign he has been targeted by on social media in recent days, which sparked a strong outcry on Saturday among many political and religious figures.
In his Sunday homily at the Basilica of Our Lady of Harissa, Rai denounced an "affront to the dignity of persons" in these online campaigns, while assuring that Lebanon was "above" this kind of quarrel.
"The war of words raging on social media does not fall under freedom of expression," but instead represents "an affront to the dignity of persons," the patriarch said during this Mass opening the month of May devoted to the Virgin Mary.
He spoke of a "worrying degradation of language standards and values, as well as an affront to dignity, which should never be targeted, no matter the source or identity" of the person concerned.
Lebanese between war and 'internal divisions'
In Lebanon, "today we are facing a reality that oscillates between an imposed war, which we reject, destruction, displacement, and death. Our people wait in daily anguish, clinging to what little hope remains," said the patriarch.
He regretted that, in this state of "waiting," the Lebanese must also face "internal divisions, tensions and heightened sensitivities — as if we have lost the capacity to tolerate one another."
"In an instant, conflict breaks out, and with a single word, shaky trust collapses," he lamented, while stressing that "Lebanon is greater than fleeting quarrels."
"What is built on love is not destroyed by storms of insults," he declared.
LBCI forced to take down video critical of Hezbollah
Over the weekend, doctored images circulated online showing the Maronite patriarch’s head replaced by a shoe — a symbol frequently associated with pro-Hezbollah online posts — or replaced by a pig or a bird’s head inspired by the famous mobile game "Angry Birds."
These images were intended as a response to a video, also inspired by the game and critical of Hezbollah, that had been posted by the LBCI channel. The channel eventually deleted the video, following an order from the new prosecutor general near the Court of Cassation, Ahmad Hajj.
"Following a directive from Prosecutor General Judge Ahmad Rami Hajj and after appearing before the cybercrime combat office, we have deleted the digital content depicting a caricature of Hezbollah’s secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, in a video inspired by Angry Birds characters," LBCI announced Sunday on its website.
