Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi met with the President of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Jaja, and his wife, MP Strida Jaja, at the patriarchal edifice in Dimane to discuss the general situation and the case of Bishop Moussa al-Hajj. They agreed on the necessity of holding the presidential elections on time.
After the meeting, Jaja stated: "My wife Strida and I were honored to visit His Eminence Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi in Dimane, and we discussed many issues, the most important of which was the matter of Bishop Moussa al-Hajj. According to the law and tradition in Lebanon, the arrest of any clergy member, whether a Sheikh, monk, priest, or bishop, requires consultation with their religious authority before such action. Unfortunately, this rule was completely violated when Bishop Moussa al-Hajj was arrested. During the meeting, I asked His Eminence whether anyone had discussed this matter with him prior to the arrest, and he confirmed that no one had spoken to him about it, and no security or judicial authority consulted him regarding this issue or indicated that the bishop's transportation of aid to people was detrimental in any way. After assessing this reality, I confirmed that the arrest of Bishop al-Hajj was premeditated and for the well-known reasons of sending a political message to Bkerke and Dimane."
Jaja reiterated his call for the removal of the government commissioner at the military court, Judge Fadi Akeek, stating: "On this occasion, I again call for the removal of Judge Fadi Akeek from this very edifice as his violations are not the first, but there have been many infractions, especially this time because the military court had a decision in May affirming that it did not have the jurisdiction to decide on the matter of Bishop al-Hajj."
On another note, Jaja indicated that they discussed the issue of the presidential elections and were in agreement that the only path to salvation for Lebanon at this time is through presidential elections as soon as possible, within the constitutional deadlines, considering that there is no longer any hope in the ruling authority. They circulated around this topic and were in consensus, leaving what transpired between them regarding this matter for the coming days.
