ASIA/LEBANON - Maronite Bishops: in the face of aggression suffered by Lebanon, the international community "should take on its responsibilities"

Beirut (Agenzia Fides) - The Maronite Bishops, gathered in the monthly assembly presided over by Patriarch Béchara Boutros Pierre Raï, express "their pain in the face of the horror of the disaster that has hit Lebanon, from the coast to the mountains, with destruction that has often affected innocent civilians" but also the reproach of "the prolonged Israeli aggression, which has caused hundreds of martyrs and victims, including the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Syed Hassan Nasrallah, and many other leaders of the Shiite movement".

The Bishops "ask God for mercy for those who were killed and comfort and consolation for their families and for the wounded". At the same time, they turn to the international community asking it to “take on its responsibilities by working for an immediate ceasefire and implementing international decisions” with a specific reference to UN Resolution number 1701.

Furthermore, the Bishops insist on the urgent need for the Lebanese Parliament “to do its duty so that, after a long wait and much suffering, a new President of the Republic is elected to complete the framework of the constitutional institutions”.

A special thought of “closeness and admiration” goes “to the work of the doctors and health personnel who are doing everything they can to care for the wounded despite the state of economic and political crisis”. Admiration and support are expressed above all for the spontaneous gestures of the many Lebanese who have welcomed displaced persons fleeing the bombed areas. Here too, the Maronite Bishops ask nations and international institutions to "support these efforts" still underway in the areas affected by "blind violence", also ensuring the work of the Church to help the wounded and displaced through the network of its parishes, monasteries and institutions, "in particular through Caritas Lebanon"

Finally, words of closeness are also expressed towards the army leaders and the initiatives aimed at "preventing any possible coup d'état" in a country that is going through a time of great difficulty and weakness. In the face of the disaster that is hitting Lebanon, the bishops ask all Lebanese "to awaken a conscience that preserves and nourishes" the factors of national unity, referring to what they define as a "sign of hope in these difficult circumstances", namely the liturgy of canonization of the martyrs of Damascus, which will be presided over by Pope Francis on Sunday, October 20. (Agenzia Fides, 2/10/2024)

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