The Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi inaugurated the Church of St. Simeon the Stylite in the town of Arda, in the Zgharta district, and presided over a mass for the occasion, assisted by the Archbishop of the Maronite Archdiocese of Tripoli, Bishop Youssef Souef, and a group of priests and monks from the archdiocese.
Former Minister Pierre Raffoul attended the mass representing President Michel Aoun, along with the Minister of Information in the caretaker government, Ziad Makari, the Minister of Defense in the caretaker government, Brigadier General Maurice Sleem, and the deputies: Michel Moawad, Tony Franjieh, Jamil Aboud, Abdel Aziz As-Samad, and Adib Abdul Masih, former Minister Stefan Douaihy, the commander of the northern military region, Brigadier General Wael Abou Shakra, representing Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, the president of the Maronite League, Ambassador Khalil Karam, representatives from Christian party leaders and security leaders, mayors, mukhtars, syndics, as well as representatives from Maronite Patriarchal institutions, a number of monastery heads, and charity and humanitarian associations.
At the beginning, Bishop Souef delivered a speech, stating: "Before you, Your Beatitude, we stand today with our parishes, our archdiocese, and this beloved country, Lebanon. We confirm that we will overcome this difficult crisis, like Passover, as we move towards a state of citizenship. We pray today for a renewal of faith, for the Lebanon of identity, freedom, faith, and dialogue, and we work under your guidance to establish love and enhance solidarity among people in these difficult times. Without this solidarity, we would be in a worse condition than we are in now."
After the Holy Gospel, Al-Rahi delivered a sermon in which he said: "You are the rock, and on this rock, I will build my church." He continued: "The Lord Jesus named Simon's faith as the rock after he declared his faith in Christ, a distinctive faith that Jesus referred to as 'Rock'—in the language of Jesus and in Greek, 'Petros.' Jesus intended to name this lived faith as the rock upon which he built his church, and we, who believe in Christ, are called to have faith that is lived out in actions so that we may merit to be called the rock. In reality, the Apostle Peter calls committed believers the living stones of God's house. The church is God's house, and we are the living stones of God's house. Each of us bears the name of a living stone in the building of God's kingdom, which is the church."
He added: "We are pleased, at the invitation of Bishop Youssef Souef, to dedicate the Church of St. Simeon the Stylite today. This saint ascended from the earth to be closer to God through his prayer and faith and teaches us to rise above the debris of the world towards God and to transcend our daily problems and petty issues. Saint Simeon ascended to God, and in Lebanon, we are in dire need to rise with a living faith through prayer so that we may draw values from God. I remind each of you that you will be living stones in building God's house in this world, so let the church not be just a building but the place where God's family gathers. We must have beautiful hearts and souls built on faith. I remember everyone who has played a role, near or far, in building this church, and we remember everyone who entrusted us with the love of faith. This region is a region of faith, and you maintain it. Today, we are on a pilgrimage with this faithful and praying people and in the land that has given believing families. We pray to receive grace and that on the rock of faith in God and values, Lebanon is built. Despite everything, there is faith in the hearts of the people; it is faith in God. There are moral, national, and spiritual values, so we are not afraid for Lebanon, as it rises and is reborn like an eagle that renews its youth. This is our faith, which we declare along with the liturgist."
For his part, the parish priest, Father Saïd Maroun, expressed his gratitude to Al-Rahi for his presence and confirmed that "families are amazed by the work of divine providence that has accompanied the parish in various circumstances." He also affirmed the parish's pride that Patriarch Stefan Douaihy served the Parish of Arda, thanking him and Father Youssef Dibb, the bishops, priests, and all official dignitaries for their attendance.
After the mass, a thank-you speech on behalf of the donors who restored the church was delivered by the media figure Joseph Mahfoud. Subsequently, Al-Rahi visited St. Rita's Church in the town.
