Lebanon’s Bishops Council Warns of Vacuum in Top Maronite Seats, Criticizes Mikati

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai speaks after meeting with then-President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon July 15, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai speaks after meeting with then-President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon July 15, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanon’s Bishops Council Warns of Vacuum in Top Maronite Seats, Criticizes Mikati

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai speaks after meeting with then-President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon July 15, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai speaks after meeting with then-President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon July 15, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The Council of Maronite Bishops warned against a deliberate vacuum in the country’s top Maronite positions, reaffirming the concerns expressed by Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai during his Mass sermon on Sunday.

They also criticized caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, for calling the Cabinet to convene, stressing that a resigned premier has no right to hold a government session without the prior approval of the ministers.

“The deliberate persistence in the presidential vacuum creates a constitutional crisis at the level of the resigned government,” the bishops said in a statement issued at the end of their regular meeting on Wednesday.

The bishops denounced the “obstruction of the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion,” and condemned what they described as “the malicious arrests to which the families of the victims are subjected.”

They called on the country’s politicians, especially with the arrival of the European judicial delegation, to abstain from interfering in judicial affairs, to allow the judiciary to continue its work and uncover the circumstances of the crime, prosecute the guilty, and acquit the innocents, as determined by the laws in force.”

Touching on the presidential elections, the bishops expressed their concern over the constant postponement of the election of a new president, stressing that the delay would only bring more suffering to the Lebanese people.

They also warned against “schemes to create a vacuum in the Maronite seats in particular and the Christian positions in general,” describing it as “a hidden intention aimed at changing Lebanon’s identity.”



New Israeli Strikes on Gaza Draw Global Condemnation 

Palestinians make their way to flee their homes, after the Israel army issued evacuation orders for a number of neighborhoods, following heavy Israeli strikes, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way to flee their homes, after the Israel army issued evacuation orders for a number of neighborhoods, following heavy Israeli strikes, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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New Israeli Strikes on Gaza Draw Global Condemnation 

Palestinians make their way to flee their homes, after the Israel army issued evacuation orders for a number of neighborhoods, following heavy Israeli strikes, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians make their way to flee their homes, after the Israel army issued evacuation orders for a number of neighborhoods, following heavy Israeli strikes, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip March 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel's renewed strikes on Gaza on Tuesday sparked international outcry and demands for it to respect the ceasefire agreement.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday he is "shocked" by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and has called for the ceasefire in Gaza to be respected.

Guterres, in a statement, called for humanitarian aid to resume for people in Gaza and for the hostages held by Hamas to be released unconditionally.

Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 400 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday it denounces "in the strongest terms" Israel resuming strikes on Gaza, and called on the international community to step in to stop what it described as crimes against the Palestinians.

Also, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani demanded immediate international action to compel Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire, abide by the Gaza ceasefire agreement and return to negotiations.

France called for an immediate halt to the violence, the French Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan branded Israel as a "terrorist state" feeding on the "blood, lives and tears of innocent" people.

A vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, he accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza. He pledged to increase diplomatic efforts to stop the violence and ensure a ceasefire.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel's attacks on Gaza amounted to a "new phase in its policy of genocide" against Palestinians and urged the international community to take a determined stance to ensure a ceasefire is upheld and humanitarian aid is delivered. 

In a statement, the ministry added it was unacceptable for Israel to cause a "new cycle of violence" in the region, adding the Israeli government's "hostile approach" threatened the future of the Middle East. 

The Kremlin said it was concerned by what it called a large number of civilian casualties after Israel struck Gaza and hoped that peace would return. 

"Undoubtedly, it's another deterioration in the situation (in Gaza) and another spiral of escalation that is causing our concern," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 

"Especially concerning of course are the reports of major casualties among the civilian population," he added. 

"We are monitoring the situation very closely and, of course, we are waiting for it to return to a peaceful course." 

The end of the ceasefire in Gaza due to Israeli attacks is cause for grave concern, Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, calling for talks on the second phase of the ceasefire and further hostage releases to resume immediately.
"The images of burning tents in refugee camps are shocking. I emphasize that international law includes the principle of proportionality, even in self defense," Baerbock said in Berlin.
"I have to appeal here, in particular, to the United States, to its regional influence, to its corresponding potential for influence," she added.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for the ceasefire to be maintained.

"There’s already been enormous suffering there, which is why we’re calling upon all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage deal that was put in place," Albanese told reporters.

"We’ll continue to make representations. Australia will continue to stand up for peace and security in the region," he added.

South Africa said it was "gravely concerned" by the deadly wave of airstrikes in Gaza, and raised doubts about Israel's "commitment to a permanent ceasefire as envisaged in the ceasefire plan brokered by the USA, Egypt and Qatar."

South Africa’s post-apartheid government has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause, and has filed a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing US ally Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that letting Israel resume its deadly strikes and block all aid to Gaza "poses catastrophic consequences for global peace and security."

The United Nations' Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory urged for the ceasefire in Gaza to be immediately reinstated.

"Waves of airstrikes occurred across the Gaza strip since the early hours of the morning ... This is unconscionable. A ceasefire must be reinstated immediately," Muhannad Hadi said in a statement.

The UN human rights chief said he was horrified by Israeli strikes on Gaza. 

"I am horrified by last night's Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza, which killed hundreds, according to the Ministry of Health in the strip. This will add tragedy onto tragedy," said High Commissioner Volker Turk in a statement. 

"Israel's resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions."