Lebanese Patriarch: ‘Everyone is a loser’ in Middle East war

By Joseph Tulloch

“In war, everyone is a loser, defeated and broken.”

This was stated by Patriarch Bechara Boutrous Ra’i, head of the Maronite Catholic Church of Lebanon, during mass on Sunday 3rd November.

War “without pity or compassion”

Patriarch Ra’i sermon for the Mass is inspired by Jesus’ words to Peter in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, particularly his promise that “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

These words of Jesus, said the Patriarch, indicate that authority in the Church is not of human origin, but divine.

However, in nation states, he continued, authority East human, because it is the will of the people which is the source of the legitimacy of a country.

With this principle in mind, the Patriarch addressed the current crisis in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.

The will of the people, he said, is certainly opposed to the current war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “We are facing a war of extermination,” the patriarch said, “in which the most modern weapons and missiles are used, without pity or compassion.”

“The people are against this war,” he continued, “because it has destroyed homes, institutions and places of worship and displaced more than a million and a half people.”

Patriarch Ra’i arrives at mass (archive photo)

Displacement and coexistence

Lebanon is the country in the Middle East with the highest percentage of Christian population and is often held up as a model of peaceful coexistence.

However, the Patriarch warned that the current mass displacements threaten the country’s social cohesion and risk becoming “a cause of social and economic problems among Lebanese citizens.”

Patriarch Rai concluded his sermon with a word of thanks to foreign countries and organizations that have provided aid to Lebanon during this time of crisis, and added an appeal to international actors to work towards a ceasefire. fire.

“We do not have a ceasefire,” the patriarch said, “but rather more casualties, destruction and displacement. For how much longer?