The Maronite bishops held their monthly meeting at the summer residence of the patriarchate in Diman, chaired by Patriarch Bechara Rai, with the participation of the general superiors of the Maronite orders, discussing ecclesiastical and national issues.
At the conclusion of the meeting, they issued a statement reiterating their call for deputies to assume their responsibilities and elect a new president for the Republic, to complete the constitutional authorities and save the country from the financial and economic collapse it is experiencing, the disintegration of the state, security threats, various attempts to seize national decision-making, and the emigration of youth abroad.
The bishops expressed their serious reservations regarding talks of international steps to delineate the land borders between Lebanon and Israel, despite the fact that these borders are already delineated and established by international agreements, especially while the presidential position is vacant and the Lebanese executive authority's powers are incomplete, making them the only proper authorities to manage this process and oversee its implementation.
They voiced their concerns about the proliferation of illegal arms, which result in murders, assaults, and thefts, condemning their use that causes innocent victims to fall to reckless gunfire, and urging the responsible authorities to rein them in and impose the harshest penalties on the perpetrators.
The bishops lamented the living conditions that public administration employees, particularly in military and security institutions, have reached, indicating that this reflects the necessity of completing the contract of authorities to enable them to fulfill their constitutional obligations and promises regarding reform and development.
The statement concluded: "On the occasion of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the fourteenth of this month, the fathers call on their sons and daughters to raise prayers for the salvation of Lebanon and for their own relief from what they are enduring, and unfortunately, it does not seem that anyone cares to assist them in this matter except for heaven and the God of heaven."
