Title: Patriarch Rai: Lebanese Officials Need Reconciliation Among Themselves

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai indicated that "political officials in Lebanon need to reconcile with each other, which requires them to purify their memory and turn the page on the past. If they do this, they will place the well-being of the Lebanese above all else." He congratulated and thanked every "effort to elect a president because by electing a president, constitutional institutions gain legitimacy to carry out their duties." In his sermon during the divine liturgy in Bakirkia, he stated that "Lebanon's message is to be a land of peace and a pioneer of peace due to its composition and cultural and religious diversity, as well as its history, political struggle, and the charter of its communal living. Lebanese people must realize that peace is the fruit of justice and is born from love in hearts. Therefore, this peace is built every day, and let this honorable duty be one of our primary responsibilities collectively in the family, society, and state."