Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Butros Rai cautioned Lebanon's politicians who are obstructing the government formation for bearing responsibility for the state's failure.
In his religious sermon during Sunday Mass in Bkirki, Rai criticized politicians for failing to rise up to their responsibilities and to form a new government before Christmas, at a time when the country is witnessing the worst of crises.
"The holidays were a way for them to evade pursuing efforts to form the government, while all officials were supposed to spare no effort nor hesitate for a single moment to work to form the cabinet, as our country is grappling with collapse," the Patriarch stressed.
Efforts to form a government would be on hold until after the New Year’s celebrations as political forces failed to agree on the form and names of the new cabinet. On Sunday, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s office said the PM left Beirut for a family visit.
In the past few weeks, Rai and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim had mediated separately to break the stalemate over the formation of a new government.
On Dec. 22, Hariri held a meeting with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace to discuss the possibilities of a government formation in Lebanon before Christmas.
However, the next day, Hariri said that despite attempts to halt Lebanon’s collapse, “the existing political problems are clear."
On Sunday, an MP from Speaker Nabih Berri’s parliamentary bloc said if some political parties insist on getting a blocking two-third, the government will not be formed.
MP Anwar Khalil said that the State, in its current status, is unable to take the required steps to solve the economic and financial crisis.
For his turn, Rai accused politicians of turning their deaf ears to the word of God and the misery of the people.
“Politicians are afraid for their chairs, while the promising youth are impoverished and forced to emigrate,” he said.
The Patriarch said it was “so unfortunate" that the misery and sadness witnessed by the Lebanese are of no concern to their officials, at a time when the Lebanese ought to be celebrating the holy season of birth and joy.
"If only the high-ranking officials would disturb themselves and resort to their consciences, evaluate their positions, options, and performance, and draw salvaging lessons and adopt the right decisions...With this action, they would restore the decision-making process and put an end to all those linking Lebanon's fate to that of other countries," Rai said.
The Patriarch addressed a word of gratitude to His Holiness Pope Francis for the message he addressed to the Lebanese on Christmas Eve. "I warn all those obstructing the formation of the government, near or far, that they bear the responsibility for putting all constitutional institutions on a path of disruption, one after the other, because the state whose terms of reference are not complete and do not complement each other, falls in one way or another," he underlined.
