The Metropolitan of Beirut and its suburbs for the Greek Orthodox, Bishop Elias Aouda, confirmed that "the unity of Lebanon is based on recognizing it as a homeland for all its citizens without one canceling the other or one strengthening oneself over the other, threatening to overthrow them whenever they wish." In his Sunday sermon, he noted that "Lebanon has become an example of corruption and fragmentation due to the insatiable ambitions of provocateurs, along with a lack of love, empowerment, and pride. This was evident last week with the hanging of banners in downtown Ashrafieh calling for the acquittal of wanted and detained individuals in the Beirut port explosion case instead of demanding that the investigation proceed until justice is served for all. We also witnessed this directly during the first session of the parliamentary council, where the divisions were clear and the disagreements were significant due to the misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the constitution, or the manipulation of laws to serve the interests of a group or faction."
He added, "We hope that the work of the new council will live up to the ambitions of the Lebanese people and that its members will turn their electoral promises into reformative decisions and laws that protect the rights of citizens and set the country on the path to salvation." Aouda emphasized that "the new council faces decisive challenges, not least of which is forming a government and electing a president for the republic. Between these two tasks, there are other responsibilities that impact the lives, health, and dignity of citizens, and they are called to tackle them."
