Maronite Patriarch Bechara Raï emphasized in his Sunday sermon that "the crime committed by the representatives of the nation is the failure to elect a president for the republic due to vetoes against specific candidates suggested for nomination." He asked, "What gives the right to veto? What gives the right to impose an individual? If you wish to engage in dialogue, come with an open mind and discuss the needs of the country today, both internally and externally, and vote daily as required by the constitution to elect the best president under the current circumstances. The true crime lies in their dismemberment of the state and its constitutional institutions, as well as its public administrations, neglecting and wasting the state's revenues in administrations, seaports, the airport, and smuggling routes. Certainly, within the mentality of all those responsible for these conditions, there is no sense of guilt or acknowledgment of it, nor any pangs of conscience!"
Raï welcomed "the rapprochement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the restoration of diplomatic relations between them after a six-year interruption, due to the lack of respect for the sovereignty of both nations and interventions in their internal affairs. This situation had strained relations and internal and regional atmospheres in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and some Gulf countries." He stated, "We bless this step, which falls within the framework of political reconciliation. How we wish and hope that this could happen here in Lebanon, leading to the restoration of its natural identity—its neutrality and distancing from external conflicts and wars—so that it can focus on defending shared Arab causes, the rights of peoples, justice, and peace, and to become a place for convergence and dialogue among religions and civilizations! This is his historic call."
