Maronite Patriarch Beshara Raï led the Mass for St. Maron's Feast at St. George's Cathedral in Beirut, attended by Minister of Communications Johnny Al-Qaram, French Ambassador Hervé Magro, Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa, Papal Nuncio Monsignor Paolo Borgia, MPs Sleiman El-Sayegh, Fares Boustanji, and Raji Saad, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, and several political and social figures.
At the outset, the Archbishop of Beirut, Bishop Paul Abdel Sater, welcomed Patriarch Raï and said: "We thank you, Your Beatitude, for accepting our invitation to preside over the celebration of the Mass for our saint Maron in St. George's Cathedral, the cathedral of the beloved capital Beirut. I welcome you among your faithful children who have come from all over the diocese to hear from their father words of faith, hope, and encouragement, and the truth you speak without hesitation and without fear to the ears of the corrupt, tyrants, and despots, hoping they may change. You have loved Beirut since you took on the responsibility of shepherding the Maronite people in Lebanon and the world, standing beside it and its people in times of prosperity and hardship, from the Beirut port explosion until today. Beirut also loves you, Your Beatitude, rejoices at your presence, and seeks your prayers for her and for the salvation of Lebanon."
In his sermon, Raï said: "We do not know why the parliament is not convened to perform its primary duty of electing a president for the republic. We have begun to doubt the intentions and see in the blocking of presidential elections suspicious unacceptable backgrounds which are condemned." He pointed out that "electing a president is a guarantee for the proper functioning of all constitutional institutions, primarily the parliament and the cabinet, as well as the path of justice and reforms."
He continued: "Let no one attempt to transform the Maronites from messengers of freedom into followers or to erase their history, as they have a distinct history that cannot be obliterated," noting that "Lebanon has a positive neutral system that gives it a mediating role and a commitment to the establishment of justice and peace while protecting the rights of peoples."
Raï stated: "We see ourselves faced with a programmed exclusion of the Maronites from the state, starting with the failure to elect a president and the closure of the presidential palace, reverting to an unacceptable form of 'dweik' governance in plain sight."
He considered that "in the absence of a president, the constitution is violated and there is no authority to halt this deviant reality. Have we become in a state with an authoritarian system replacing the system declared in the preamble of the constitution?"
He added: "There is a violation of the constitution through the necessity provisions that the parliament and cabinet rely on for appointments," affirming that "saving the country requires a president who puts an end to the false national unity governments, refusing all illegal weapons, and challenging anyone who encroaches on sovereignty and independence so that Lebanon does not become a state of dependence and occupation."
