Maronite Bishops: Those who Marry in Civil Union Must Complement it with Religious Ceremony
The Maronite Bishops council noted on Wednesday that the civil marriage debate in Lebanon should be approached from constitutional and religious perspectives, saying that this form of union was addressed in the constitution.
It said: “Those who marry in a civil union must complement it was a religious ceremony.”
It made its statement after its weekly meeting, headed by Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, at Bkirki.
“The state must respect all religions and civil marriage should be introduced in Lebanon after amending the constitution,” it explained.
“Marriage is a holy union however and civil marriage should not replace the religious one,” said the council.
On discussions over a new parliamentary electoral law, the bishops urged officials to reach an agreement over the issue, warning that time is running is short ahead of the elections, which are scheduled for June.
“Officials should chose a law that best represents Christians and Muslims and that protects coexistence,” they remarked.
Commenting the recent Arsal clash, they voiced their concern over the latest instability, while condemning the assault against the military and security forces.
“The state must firmly impose the laws and citizens must respect official security and military institutions,” stressed the Maronite Bishops council.
Two officers were killed in the Bekaa town of Arsal on February 1 as the army was seeking to arrest a wanted suspect, who was killed in the ensuing clash.
The debate over civil marriage in Lebanon has created divisions among the religious and political classes in the country.
President Michel Suleiman has openly advocated it, while Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani had rejected it.
Qabbani issued a fatwa against moves to legalize civil marriage, branding as an apostate any Muslim politician who approves it.
The controversy was sparked when Kholoud Succariyeh and Nidal Darwish announced in January that they had wed as a secular couple by having their religious sects legally struck from their family registers under an article dating from the 1936 French mandate.
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