Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai affirmed that "the development of weapons has forced people to bear them; war begets war." He emphasized that "displacing citizens onto the streets is unacceptable, as our Lord taught us to replace the law of retaliation with the law of love."
In his Sunday sermon, Al-Rai highlighted that "valor does not lie in creating war with advanced weapons but rather in the intellect to avoid war and to make peace." He added, "Lebanon is composed of 18 religious sects, which represent believers in God, and this faith requires their relationships to be characterized by love; if they are not, they are deceiving one another." Al-Rai stressed that "we cannot continue in this state of mutual distance and mistrust that hinders the life of the state and society. Everyone should prioritize building national unity through new means and a new language, especially loyalty to our homeland, Lebanon."
