The image of the former Patriarch Elias Hoyek projected during the night of July 25 to 26 onto a wall of the Saint Georges church in Derdghaya. (Credit: Photo shared by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai called in his Sunday homily for building a united Lebanon, in the image that Patriarch Elias Pierre Hoyek — beatified on Saturday and regarded as the "founder of Greater Lebanon" — had wished for.
"Lebanon is not built through divisions, but through the unity of its people and the establishment of a state governed by law [in the image of Patriarch Hoyek], who was able to combine holiness and nation-building, making freedom and coexistence a lasting message for Lebanon," the patriarch said during the Mass held at the patriarchal summer residence in Dimane, north Lebanon, on the occasion of the beatification.
Archbishop Rai added that Patriarch Hoyek, "who was not a man of division, but of encounter and unity, gathered the Lebanese around humanity and the homeland, making truth and justice the foundation of every national project."
On Sunday morning, the relics of Blessed Hoyek left the church at the patriarchal seat in a motorcade, accompanied by liturgical chants and the scattering of flower petals, heading toward the Maronite Sisters' convent in Abrin, in the Batroun district. The beatification had been celebrated Saturday during another Mass in Dimane.
'Patriarch of the Poor'
Rai stated that the beatification of Patriarch Hoyek "is not only a tribute to a historical figure, but proclaims that holiness is capable of making history and that faith, when allied with national responsibility, becomes a force that builds nations and preserves human dignity."
He also praised Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the papal envoy who presided over the beatification ceremony, stating that his presence "illustrates the depth of communion between the Maronite Church and the Holy See and confirms the place that Lebanon occupies in the heart of the universal Church."
The head of the Maronite Church then revisited the main milestones of the patriarch of the poor, who opened the Church's doors during the Great Famine from 1915 to 1918, from his religious and intellectual formation to his election as patriarch, including his service in Bkirki and his involvement in the process leading to the proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon.
"Lebanon today needs more than ever to draw inspiration from this national vision based on partnership, respect for pluralism, and strengthening the state of institutions and law, far from the divisions and conflicts that weaken the country," Patriarch Rai concluded.
The beatification of Hoyek was also celebrated in southern Lebanon, notably in Derdghaya, Sour , where on Saturday night an image of the former patriarch was projected onto the wall of St. George Church — damaged by Israeli strikes — while candles were lit and religious songs were played, transforming the site into a place mingling simplicity and spiritual fervor, according to our regional correspondent.
The residents of the village also announced new, bigger celebrations to come soon. Our correspondent recalls that the church was hit by an Israeli strike on Oct. 9, 2024, during the first of two recent wars between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah — a conflict that caused many deaths and widespread, indiscriminate destruction in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and worldwide, Mar Paulos III Nona, who came to Lebanon — notably for the beatification of Hoyek, his first visit since being elected — presided over a solemn Mass at St. Raphael’s Cathedral in Baabda-Brasilia.
