The Patriarch: There is No Solution Except by Holding a Special International Conference for Lebanon

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rai pointed out that "whenever we reach a presidential election, new ideas are invented to control the course of electing a president, even though the constitution is clear." He added during his Sunday Mass sermon from Bkerke: "They speak of a consensus president, and the idea is welcomed as long as they do not want to turn the truth into falsehood. A consensus president is one who has sovereign decision-making powers that are not compromised, and a consensus president is one who respects and applies the constitution, not a weak president who manages the crisis and avoids tackling complex issues." He emphasized that "the president we want is one who aligns with Lebanon and the Lebanese, someone who eliminates paths that change Lebanon's identity… In light of the parliament's abysmal failure to elect a president after five mock sessions and thwarting all dialogues up to the Baabda Declaration Conference, we find no solution other than holding a special international conference for Lebanon."