Metropolitan of Beirut and its environs, Bishop Elias Auda, presided over the Good Friday service and the Easter Mass at St. George's Cathedral, attended by a crowd of believers. After the holy Gospel, he delivered a sermon in which he stated: "Dear ones, our country needs those who love it with sincere love, free from hatred, evil, greed, and corruption. It needs officials who work for it, not for their own interests, and representatives who fulfill their duties away from personal interests and goals. The foremost of these duties is to convene within the timeframe set by the constitution to elect a president for the republic who will lead the country with integrity and wisdom."
He continued: "Nearly two years have passed since this period ended, and they have not fulfilled their duty, as if some have acclimatized to the vacancy and no longer care about having a president! We see them gathering when personal interests call them together, and their efforts unite to fulfill requirements. If they can meet, why don't they elect a president? Why don't they apply the constitution which should be their only reference? Why don't they respect all constitutional deadlines? Why do they exceed democratic principles? Are we not in a democratic system built on the principle of separation and cooperation of powers, on preserving the independence of the judiciary to achieve justice, and on guaranteeing the freedoms and rights of citizens to hold positions and participate in power through elections held on time? Democracy cannot be upheld without respecting constitutional deadlines and the rotation of power, without serious oversight and fair accountability."
He pointed out that "our country will not rise unless the functioning of its constitutional institutions is organized and the performance of its employees is ensured. However, we witness the failure of these institutions due to the lack of a president, and no election of a president because of political conflicts, squabbles, obstruction, and the imposition of absurdities not stipulated in the constitution. Our democratic system is regressing due to the overlap of authorities and the domination of politics over the judiciary, the obstruction of the constitution, and subjugating it to interests, hampering the election of a president and hindering the formation of governments, as we have witnessed in recent years, under the pretext of consensual democracy, which is the opposite of true democracy based on a parliamentary majority that forms a government to assume power, with an active opposition that exercises genuine oversight free from all interests. This was Lebanon’s situation in its past."
He added: "Dear ones, the world envied us for the great blessing called Lebanon, and some neighboring countries aspired to reach what we had. Unfortunately, we have regressed significantly while they have developed beyond expectations. Therefore, we all—officials, parties, and citizens, especially intellectuals—must work together for the revival of our homeland. The path is clear: applying the constitution. We all must, each in their field, apply our country's constitution and laws, and free ourselves from strange ideas, frustrating conditions, selfishness, fanaticism, exclusivity, hatred, and revenge. It is truly shameful for the Lebanese people, at this pivotal moment in the history of this region, to feel that their representatives and leaders are powerless and waiting for external assistance. The outside world warns us that Lebanon will not be called to negotiations without an active president and government."
He concluded: "On this blessed day, we raise a prayer for Lebanon's resurrection from its fall, and for the Lord, who rose from the dead, to purify the hearts of officials and enlighten their minds to walk the path leading to salvation. We pray for those suffering the horrors of wars, especially in Lebanon and in the land of Christ, Palestine, and for the sick, the grieving, the oppressed, the imprisoned, and the persecuted."
