ASIA/LEBANON - Maronite Bishops: they are turning the country into an oligarchy, at the expense of the Constitution, the people and the institutions

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Bkerkè (Agenzia Fides) – A struggle for power and a short sighted attitude of Lebanese political leaders who pursue only their own partisan interests are turning the country into an “oligarchy at the expense of the Constitution, the people and the institutions”. With this statement the Maronite Bishops once again stigmatised the recklessness of Lebanese politics, which have paralysed the political and institutional life of the land of Cedars for months. The Bishops were speaking during a monthly meeting held 3 December at the patriarchal See of Bkerkè, presided by Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai.
In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, a copy was sent to Fides, the Bishops denounced as unconstitutional, a unilateral decision by Parliament to extend it mandate for 31 months at the very time when crossed vetoing between rival political blocks is causing a power void in the position of President of the Republic , vacant since last May 25. The Maronite Bishops reaffirmed the urgency to re-elect a president immediately, refusing to be conditioned by pressure from global and regional geo-political powers, and not using as a pretext the necessity to reach a consensus among the different parties and Christian political groups. By constitutional statute, the presidency of the Republic of Lebanon is always held by a Maronite Christian.
The Maronite bishops praised the role played by the national army and police forces in the fight against terrorism, and deplored the death of 6 Lebanese soldiers killed in an ambush by Jihad militia in Ras Baalbeck, on the border with Syria.
Last Friday, 28 November, the Lebanese Constitutional Council rejected an appeal presented by MPs of the Free Patriotic Movement (a Maronite political group led by former general Michel Aoun) demanding the invalidation of an order with which the Lebanese parliament extended its mandate – which expired on November 20 – to 20 June 2017. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 4/12/2014).


Share: