The Maronite bishops held their monthly meeting at the summer patriarchal residence in Diman, presided over by Cardinal Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, with the participation of heads of Maronite religious orders. They discussed ecclesiastical and national matters.
At the end of the meeting, they issued the following statement:
1. The council members express deep sorrow and reiterate their condemnation of the Israeli military operations affecting villages, towns, and cities in the south. They renew their call for capable international powers to put an end to these operations and for all parties involved to adhere to the obligations of the framework agreement.
2. Council members are monitoring the beginning of the gradual withdrawal of United Nations forces from the south, scheduled to conclude next December. They advocate for a consensus on international or multinational forces as an alternative, with a robust operational mandate that facilitates Lebanon's recovery of its territories up to the international borders through legitimate military means.
3. Council members welcome the abolition of the death penalty, provided it is coupled with strict law enforcement to establish security and stability, avoiding the need for settlements like those in the general amnesty law.
4. The council reaffirms the fundamental principle of freedom on which Lebanon is founded and hopes for reconsideration in what threatens this in the new media law, respecting opinions and protecting the rights of those who express them.
5. The council salutes the personnel responsible for internal security and managing traffic on public roads, amid rising traffic accidents and increasing numbers of fatalities and injuries. They believe that measures taken in this context should be accompanied by a strong security presence and strict monitoring to be effective.
6. Approaching the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, council members pray to God for this occasion to renew prayers for the liberation of the beloved homeland from its domestic and foreign ordeals, and for a return to its desired humanitarian path by all its sons and daughters.