The Maronite bishops held their monthly meeting at the patriarchal edifice in Bkerke, chaired by Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, with the participation of the general superiors of Maronite congregations. They discussed church and national matters. At the conclusion of the meeting, they issued the following statement:
1. The bishops repeatedly call upon the honorable representatives to fulfill the constitutional obligation to elect a new president of the republic, to spare the country further collapses and instability.
2. The bishops express their strong condemnation of the killings, destruction, and abuses faced by the Gaza Strip and the West Bank at the hands of the Israeli army and Israeli settlers, which primarily affects civilians. They join all those with a conscience around the world in calling for a definitive ceasefire, paving the way for negotiations between the concerned parties based on the two-state solution.
3. The bishops also express concern over the escalation in southern Lebanon, which has caused casualties and injuries among citizens and significant destruction in several villages and towns, in addition to the burning of forests and orchards by phosphorus bombs; this escalation reached the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday.
4. The bishops remind that the visit of His Beatitude with His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan and several bishops, representing the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, to the city of Tyre, the gateway to the border area, was aimed at expressing solidarity with the people of the south during this ordeal, affirming the vitality of shared living and its national necessity, and urging the local authorities and friends of Lebanon worldwide to actively contribute to implementing Resolution 1701, which guarantees deterring Israel from its aggressions and provides a clear, sound, and effective framework for peace in the cherished south.
5. The bishops are deeply concerned about the situation of Syrian displaced persons in Lebanon, particularly what has been revealed by military and security raids and arrests regarding the possession of advanced weapons and ammunition by the displaced, which poses a timed bomb and a real threat to the security and safety of the Lebanese. They demand that official authorities take serious and strict actions to control this deplorable reality, and devise political and diplomatic perspectives and measures aimed at relieving Lebanon of this burden, which exceeds its safety and profoundly impacts its demographics, balances, economy, and the livelihoods of its citizens.
6. The bishops express their astonishment at the approach of the draft budget and the burdens it imposes on citizens who are already struggling under the weight of living challenges. They believe that the current conditions necessitate that the officials in both legislative and executive bodies have the courage to address the state’s financial issue, which returns the state’s funds to its treasury, whether in terms of public facilities or taxes and fees, in light of social justice and its requirements.
7. The bishops welcome the outcome of the meeting in Bkerke, under the patronage of His Beatitude, regarding the formation of a committee headed by the Minister of Education and Higher Education to study ways to correct the legal texts that serve the safety of the sector. They renew their urgent demand for the need to protect the freedom of education in Lebanon, providing necessary laws and administrative and financial measures for this purpose, while also ensuring decent living for teachers, the capacities of parents, and maintaining private schools in various regions.
8. The bishops condemn this persistent, unjustified, and shameful attack on Christian clergy, who faithfully perform their duties and services in the holy lands. They remind that the Lebanese clergy do not need to justify any of their spiritual, national, or humanitarian behaviors, which are always inspired by the teachings of the Savior, not by human emotions.
9. During this Christmas season, at the beginning of the new year, the bishops pray to God, the Almighty, to bestow upon Lebanon and the Lebanese an abundance of His kindness and mercy, so that the beloved nation may finally find its way to salvation from the tribulations and calamities it has endured, regain its freedom, sovereignty, and independence of decision, and embark on a hoped-for revival that restores its active and honorable position among the countries of the East and the West.
