Maronite Patriarch Bechara Raï stated that "the senators face several responsibilities, the most important of which is the election of a president for the republic who enjoys both internal and external confidence; otherwise, the parliament will remain disabled from legislation, accountability, and questioning while they occupy a position that is empty of its content, and the state will remain without a full government, the ministries and public administrations scattered, the judiciary halted and subject to political influence, and the disaster of the Beirut port explosion, its victims, and losses forgotten." He considered in his Easter message that "illegal arms are dragging Lebanon and its people into suffering from wars that they did not decide or want, as happened yesterday on the southern borders, despite Security Council resolutions, the most important of which is Resolution 1701." He questioned, "Until when will Lebanon's land remain open to every armed holder? And until when will Lebanon and its people endure the repercussions of foreign policies that suffocate them day by day?"
He pointed out that "corruption is rampant, and the pillars of authority are scrambling to achieve personal and factional gains, in addition to dividing spoils until the collapse reached its peak with the seizure of the citizens’ life savings." He continued: "Syrian refugees are draining the state's resources and disrupting social security while competing with Lebanese for their daily bread, continuously crossing back and forth from legal and illegal crossings, and the international community protects them at Lebanon's expense for clear and hidden political reasons." He added that "it is the duty of the deputies and officials to work with the international community to return them to their homeland and assist them there."
