"Bkerke from crisis to crisis, neither its olive oil nor its light is lacking, everyone speaks Turkish except Bkerke which speaks correctly." This reflects the role of Bkerke and its position in Lebanese politics, as it is closely tied to the entity and existence, and its word often carries the final say at historical and fateful crossroads. Bkerke insists on not getting involved in names. It neither nominates nor adopts, be it in the presidency or other entitlements. However, it often sends messages, even if they are harsh, with enough hints to understand who is meant and what they should do.
It cannot be said that Bkerke has experienced periods of tension with the Baabda Palace, but the last six years have not been devoid of high-pitched and sometimes sharp messages from its officials. Perhaps the statement of Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi on October 9 serves as a summary of what Bkerke desires and how it perceives the current reality, affirming that "Lebanon can no longer bear half-solutions, half-friendships, half-presidents, half-governments, or half-loyalties."
In reviewing the stances of Bkerke and its relationship with President Michel Aoun's era, we must pause at several notable and high-profile positions taken by Patriarch Al-Rahi at sensitive moments in the country's history. It is essential to begin with Al-Rahi's call for Lebanon's neutrality, which he has championed especially since Lebanon fell into the jaws of economic crisis and collapse after the Beirut Port explosion. Al-Rahi's call for neutrality was understood to be directly aimed at Hezbollah and its allies, and thus the presidency and the Free Patriotic Movement. His positions clearly rejected the campaigns against Arab countries, deeming them "motivated by foreign interests," criticizing the party's weapons and affirming that reform must accompany the unification of arms and decision-making.
These positions of Al-Rahi faced extensive campaigns targeting him and political criticism as a result. Although this was not the first time he had made similar statements. In a sermon delivered on July 5, 2020, he launched a scathing attack on politicians, implicitly on the president and Hezbollah, saying: "The stage we have reached compels us to direct this appeal: We urge His Excellency the President to work on lifting the siege on legal authority and national free decision, and we ask friendly nations to hasten to aid Lebanon, as they have done whenever it faced danger, and we call upon the United Nations to work on reinstating Lebanon's independence and unity, implementing international resolutions, and declaring its neutrality." He added, "Lebanon's neutrality is the guarantee of its unity and its historical positioning in this stage full of geopolitical and constitutional changes. Lebanon's neutrality is its strength and a guarantee of its role in stabilizing the region and defending the rights of Arab states and the cause of peace, as well as in maintaining healthy relations between Middle Eastern countries and Europe due to its location on the Mediterranean coast."
The culmination of Bkerke's visibility occurred in February 2021 with the popular march towards Bkerke in support of the patriarch's call for an international conference to assist Lebanon. The political message from the popular gathering surrounding the patriarch that day was clear.
Patriarch Al-Rahi did not limit his messages to those in the South and the ears of Baabda; he also made numerous statements criticizing the delay in forming governments. In a surprising move, President Aoun was absent from the Christmas Mass in 2020, leading some to interpret this as a political message that the absence signified a political stance from the presidency, following Al-Rahi's accusation of the President and the assigned Prime Minister for obstructing the formation of the government. However, the media office in Bkerke denied this theory, justifying the absence by health reasons.
Bkerke faced numerous pressures, most notably the arrest of Bishop Moussa Al-Hajj in Naqoura while entering Lebanon from occupied territory. This incident was also perceived politically concerning Bkerke, especially regarding its timing.
However, despite the messages and pressures faced by the patriarchal edifice, often from the allies of the presidency, the patriarch has not shunned the presidential palace and has maintained visits to President Aoun on numerous occasions, especially following Prime Minister Saad Hariri's assignment to form a government at the beginning of 2021, and the launch of Bkerke's initiative to smooth over obstacles which ultimately did not succeed, leading to Hariri's subsequent withdrawal.
Despite the clear stance taken in Bkerke regarding essential issues, contrasting with the orientations of many political forces, particularly concerning sovereignty, independence, and Lebanon's neutrality, political forces, including the Free Patriotic Movement, continued to seek the patriarch's blessing at every entitlement to avoid any confrontation with him, saying: "Bless us, O Lord."
