Rahi Says Sale of Lebanese Land is 'Crime,' Calls for 'Mandatory' Election of President
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi warned on Tuesday that the sale of lands in Lebanon was tantamount to committing a “crime” and “treason,” stressing the “mandatory” election of a new president on time.
“Our land is the land of coexistence … It gave us our identity,” al-Rahi said in his traditional Christmas message.
“We will not commit treason against it,” he said.
“We should preserve our land and leave it as a legacy for others,” he said. “Selling it or plotting against our land is a crime and treason for the (Lebanese) identity and history.”
“Peace building in Lebanese territories and the Orient is our responsibility,” he said.
“Our land is priceless … We preserve it for being sacred … We reject to turn it into the land of hatred and killing,” al-Rahi stressed.
“The church rejects that any Lebanese sells his land. We help him through our institutions to invest his land and live from it,” he said.
Al-Rahi urged big investors to preserve their lands to protect their historic identity and invest them for development projects to contribute to the country's economy and the people's livelihoods.
The patriarch urged the authorities to control the sale of land owned by the Lebanese to foreigners.
Turning to Lebanon’s political crisis and the government deadlock, al-Rahi said the officials should form a constitutional cabinet capable of guaranteeing the real peace, which he said is based on honesty between the rival parties.
Al-Rahi also called for controlling illegitimate weapons and suppressing assaults on the Lebanese.
He said peace in Lebanon calls for the lawmakers' “mandatory” attendance of parliamentary sessions to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline.
The patriarch said the president should have a clear agenda to reach a capable centralized state with a wide range of decentralization and resolve the gaps in the post of the presidency.
The new head of state should bring the views of the rival parties closer, revive loyalty to Lebanon and distance it from regional conflicts, he said.
Addressing kidnapped bishops and nuns in Syria, al-Rahi said: “You are our Eid and Christmas ... Don’t be afraid. We are proud of your Jihad.”
Al-Rahi urged warring parties to reach comprehensive peace, warning that the fire could spread quickly and burn the region.
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