Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai urged on Sunday all officials, politicians and citizens to recognize that “true faith is expressed through integrity, reform, commitment to national unity and working for the common good rather than narrow interests. A nation is not built on conflicts but on trust. It does not rise with promises but with actions. It does not live on slogans but on justice and truth.”
Delivering his Sunday homily in Dimane, the Patriarch called on the Lebanese people to overcome divisions and fears, and to “raise their voices against anyone who threatens their existence, identity and mission.”
Rai stressed the need for a “living faith” that is embodied in “rootedness in the land, the preservation of national dignity, the defense of sovereignty over the entirety of Lebanon’s territory and freedoms, as well as the development of economic and social policies to protect citizens from emigration and from selling their lands.”
He underlined that “the responsibility of those in charge of public affairs is great: they must rise above personal interests, embrace the common good and place the service of the people before self-interest. Politicians must listen to the cry of the oppressed people and join hands to build a state of full sovereignty, justice and law.”
He added, “The country cannot emerge from its crises unless it regains the values of faith and hope, and unless its citizens rally around a unifying national project, rather than narrow interests and deadly divisions.”
Concluding his homily, Rai invited the faithful to prayer, “Let us pray, dear brothers and sisters, that God may grant us the grace of persevering faith, open our hearts to hope, heal us from the wounds of the past and the present and help us purify our memory. Let us give glory and thanks to the Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—now and forever. Amen.”
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