The Shepherd: No Legitimacy for Any Authority That Contradicts Common Living

The Maronite Patriarch Bechara Raï delivered a sermon during the Mass of the Annunciation, stating: "How much every human society today, especially the Lebanese society, needs solidarity and love, as it is in a state of distance, disputes, hostilities, distrust, the influence of some, and the obstruction of constitutional texts for personal goals, as is the case with the failure to elect a President of the Republic, who is taken hostage for personal and sectarian calculations, without any regard for the disintegration of the state and the poverty of citizens, perhaps intended. These situations have started to obstruct Lebanon's essential constitutional features, which are: A- Equality among citizens of different religions, as they belong to Lebanon as a state through citizenship, not religion. This means that Lebanon is a state that separates religion from the state, "respects all religions in their doctrines, and guarantees their personal status laws" (Article 9 of the Constitution). Unfortunately, we witness today practices that contradict all these features and give Lebanon an unpleasant floating face. B- Cultural and religious plurality that contradicts singularity. From this characteristic flow the general freedoms in the Lebanese system, starting from the freedom of conscience and belief, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of publication and writing, and freedom of gatherings and parties, as enshrined in the Constitution. C- The covenant of coexistence between Christians and Muslims known as the National Pact (1943), which was renewed by the Taif Agreement (1989) and incorporated into the Constitution (1990). It considers that "there is no legitimacy for any authority that contradicts common living" (Preamble of the Constitution, y). This covenant is based on two principles. 1- Lebanon's neutrality. 2- Balanced and equal participation in governance and administration, without this participation being based on sectarian, partisan, and parliamentary factional quotas, which deprives more than half of the Lebanese citizens of this participation."