Patriarch Raï: Lebanon is a Land of Dialogue and Peace and Should Return to Its Neutrality

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Raï, during his sermon at the Divine Liturgy in Bkerke, stated: "We condemn the brutal, all-out war currently taking place in Gaza and reject its extension to the southern villages. Lebanon is not a land of war but a land of dialogue and peace." Raï viewed the extension of the war to Southern Lebanon as contrary to Resolution 1701 and emphasized the necessity for Lebanon to return to its neutrality, defending any lost rights through diplomacy. He pointed out that the Baabda Declaration affirmed Lebanon's neutrality, which was adopted by the Security Council and called for its implementation both in letter and spirit. Raï stressed that "Lebanon's neutrality is not a new matter but an essential part of Lebanon's identity since 1860, characterized by political neutrality, meaning it neither engages in war nor is it attacked."