فيديو ونص/كلمة البطريرك الكردينال مار بشارة بطرس الراعي في التجمّعِ الشعبيّ في بكركي/Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi: International Conference Calls Meant to Face Coup Situation/Mgr Rahi : Lorsque certaines personnes se rangent du côté d’un axe régional, les guerres éclatent, l’Etat se divise alors que l’essence de l’entité libanaise indépendante est la neutralité

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كلمة البطريرك الكردينال مار بشارة بطرس الراعي في التجمّعِ الشعبيّ في بكركي
موقع بكركي الألكتروني/السبت 27 شباط 2021

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi: International Conference Calls Meant to Face Coup Situation/Naharnet/February 27/2021

Thousands rally to support Lebanon’s Patriarch call for an international conference
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/February 27/2021

Mgr Rahi : « Lorsque certaines personnes se rangent du côté d’un axe régional, les guerres éclatent, l’Etat se divise alors que l’essence de l’entité libanaise indépendante est la neutralité /ANI/Samedi 27 Fevrier 2021

كلمة البطريرك الكردينال مار بشارة بطرس الراعي في التجمّعِ الشعبيّ في بكركي
موقع بكركي الألكتروني/السبت 27 شباط 2021
عاش لبنان واحدًا موحدًّا، حياديًّا ناشطًا، سيّدًا مستقّلًا، حرًّا قويًّا، مستقرًّا: لبنان شركة ومحبّة.
1. أتيْتم من كل لبنان، أتيتم من كل الأعمار. نساءً ورجالًا أتيتم، رغمَ أخطار كورونا، لتدعموا طرحَ الحيادِ والمؤتمرِ الدوليّ الخاصّ بلبنان. وبكلمة أتيتم تَطلبون إنقاذَ لبنان. إنّنا معًا، نعم معًا، سنُنقذُ لبنان. شكرًا لكم على محبّتكم، شكرًا لكلّ الذين نظّموا اللقاء وسخوا بمالهم ووقتهم وراحتهم. تحيّة لكلّ الذين يشاركوننا من مختلف العواصم. حماكم الله جميعًا من وباء كورونا وشفى كلّ المصابين. نقف الآن دقيقة صمت عن أرواح ضحايا هذا الوباء، وضحايا إنفجار مرفأ بيروت.

2. جئتم لكي تدعموا المطلب بإعلان حياد لبنان الإيجابي الناشط.
لا يختلف اثنان على أن خروج الدولة أو قوى لبنانية عن سياسة الحياد هو السبب الرئيس لكل أزماتنا الوطنية والحروب التي وقعت في لبنان. لقد أثبتت التجارب التاريخية، القديمة والحديثة، أن كلما انحاز البعض إلى محور إقليمي أو دولي، انقسم الشعبُ وعُلّق الدستور، وتعطلت الدولة وانتكست الصيغة اللبنانية، واندلعت الحروب. إن جوهر الكيان اللبناني المستقل هو الحياد. بل إن الهدف من إنشاء دولة لبنان الكبير هو خلق كيان حيادي في هذ الشرق يشكل صلةَ وصل بين شعوب المنطقة وحضاراتها، وجسرَ تواصل بين الشرق والغرب. واختيار نظام الحياد هو للمحافظة على دولة لبنان في كيانها الحالي الذي أساسه الإنتماء بالمواطنة لا بالدين، وميزته التعدّديّة الثقافيّة والدينيّة، والإنفتاح على كل الدول وعدم الإنحياز. ونحن نجدد معكم الدعوة إلى اقرار حياد لبنان لكي نعطي للحياد صفة دستورية ثابتة بعدما ورد ذكره بأشكال شتى وتعابير مختلفة في وثيقة إنشاء دولة لبنان وفي خطب رؤساء الجمهوريّة وفي بيان حكومة الاستقلال وبيانات سائر الحكومات المتتالية وصولا إلى إعلان بعبدا في 11 حزيران 2012.

3. وجئتم لتدعموا المطالبة بمؤتمرٍ دوليٍّ خاصٍّ بلبنان.
نحن معكم لم نطالب به إلا بعد أن بلغت كل الحلول الأخرى الى حائط مسدود، ولم نتمكن في ما بيننا من الاتفاق على مصير وطننا. حتى ان السياسيين المعنيين لم يتمكنوا من الجلوس على طاولة واحدة للتحاور وتيقّنا أنَّ كلَّ ما طُرحَ رُفض لتبقى الفوضى، وتسقطَ الدولة، ويتمَّ الاستيلاءُ على مقاليد السلطة. أما ان يتركوا الامور كما هي فيفتقر الشعب وتنهار الدولة فهذا ما لا نقبله. نحن نواجه حالةً انقلابيّة بكل معنى الكلمة على مختلف ميادين الحياة العامة، حالة انقلابية على المجتمع اللبناني وعلى ما يمثله وطننا من خصوصية حضارية في هذا الشرق. وكان الإنقلاب الأوّل على وثيقة الوفاق الوطني التي أقرّها مؤتمر الطائف سنة 1989، وقد إنعقد برعاية دوليّة وعربيّة. ولكنّه لم يُطبّق حتى اليوم بكامل نصّه وروحه؛ وعُدّل الدستور على أساسه، فظهرت فيه ثغرات أثّرت في العمق على حياة الدولة حتى أصيبت بالشلل. فلو تمكّنت الجماعة السياسيّة عندنا من إجراء حوار مسؤول لتحصين وثيقة الوفاق الوطني، ومعالجة الثغرات في الدستور، لما طالبنا بتاتًا بمؤتمر دوليّ برعاية الأمم المتّحدة، يساعدنا على حلّ العقد التي تشلّ المؤسّسات الدستوريّة.
ماذا نريد؟

4. نريد من المؤتمر الدولي أن يثبِّتَ الكيانَ اللبنانيَّ المعرَّض جديًّا للخطر، وأن يعيدَ تثبيتَ حدودِه الدولية.
نريد من المؤتمر الدولي أن يجدّدَ دعم النظام الديمقراطي الذي يعبّر عن تمسّك اللبنانيّين بالحرّية والعدالة والمساواة.
نريد من المؤتمر الدولي إعلانَ حيادِ لبنان فلا يعود ضحية الصراعات والحروب، وأرض الانقسامات، وبالتالي يتأسّس على قوّة التوازن، لا على موازين القوى التي تنذر دائمًا بالحروب.
نريد من المؤتمر الدولي أن يّتخذ جميع الإجراءات لتنفيذ القرارات الدولية المعنية بلبنان، والتي لم تُنفَّذ أو نُفّذَت جزئيا. فتنفيذ هذه القرارات من شأنه أن ينقذ استقلال لبنان وسيادته ويسمح للدولة اللبنانية أن تبسط سلطتها الشرعية على كامل الأراضي اللبنانية من دون أي شراكة أو منافسة.
نريد من المؤتمر الدولي أن يوفّر الدعم للجيش اللبناني، ليكون المدافع الوحيد عن لبنان، والقادر على استيعاب القدرات العسكرية الموجودة لدى الشعب اللبناني من خلال نظامٍ دفاعي شرعي يُمسك بقرار الحرب والسلم.
نريد من المؤتمر الدولي أن يحسمَ وضعَ خطة تنفيذية سريعة لمنع التوطين الفلسطيني ولإعادة النازحين السوريين آمنين إلى ديارهم.
لا نريد من المؤتمر الدوليّ جيوشًا ومعسكرات.
لا نريد المسّ بكيان لبنان فهو غيرُ قابلٍ لإعادةِ النظر، وحدودُ لبنان غيرُ قابلةٍ للتعديل. شراكتُه المسيحيّةُ/الإسلاميّة غيرُ قابلةٍ للمسّ، وديمقراطيّتُه غيرُ قابلةٍ للنقض. دورُه غيرُ قابلٍ التشويهَ، وهويّتُه اللبنانيّة غيرُ قابلةٍ للتزويرَ. إنَّ أيَّ تطويرٍ للنظام، وهذه سُنّةُ التقدّم، لا يجوز أن يكونَ على حسابِ ما اتّفقنا عليه منذ تأسيسِ دولةِ لبنان. التطويرُ لا يعني النقضَ، بل التحسين. التطويرُ لا يعني إلغاءَ المواثيق الدستوريّة، بل توضيحَ الملتَبِسِ فيها لتتكامل السلطاتُ الدستوريّة. التطويرُ لا يعني محوَ الماضي، بل تحصينَ الثوابت التاريخية. حقّنا أن نعيشَ حياةً كريمةً في وطننا.
لقد وُلدنا لنعيشَ في مروجِ السلامِ الدائم، لا في ساحاتِ القتال الدائم. وجميعُ مشاكلِ الشعوبِ صارت قابلةَ للحلِّ بالحوار والتفاوض والعلاقات السلمية. قدرُ الإنسانِ أن يخلقَ أصدقاءَ لا أعداء. وأن يَحملَ المحبّةَ لا الأحقاد. ورسالةُ لبنان أن يكونَ مثالَ العلاقاتِ الإنسانيّةِ السلميّة. ومهما طال الوقت، لن ينجح أحد في أن يَقضيَ على هذا اللبنان وهذه الرسالة.
لبنانُ الرسالة التي تحدث عنها من لبنان القديس البابا يوحنا بولس الثاني، وقداسة البابا فرنسيس الذي يولي قضية لبنان أهمّيةً خاصّةً وعبّر عن ذلك في رسالتين متتاليتين وفي اتصالاته مع الدول الصديقة لدعم لبنان وعدم توفير أي مسعى لبناني أو دولي لإنقاذه، فإلى قداسة البابا فرنسيس نوجه معًا تحيّةَ شكر ومحبة.

ايها الاحباء؛
5. كل ما نطرحُه اليوم، من ناحيةِ إعلانِ حيادِ لبنان وعقدِ مؤتمرٍ دوليٍّ خاصٍّ به، إنما هو لتجديدِ وجودِنا الحرّ والسيّد والمستقل والمستقرّ. كلُّ ما نطرحُه هو لإحياءِ الدولةِ اللبنانيّةِ المبعثَرةِ والمعطّلةِ والمصادرة. حرّرنا الأرضَ، فلنُحرِّر الدولة. فلنحررها من كلِّ ما يعيقُ سلطتَها وأداءَها. إنَّ عظمةَ حركاتِ التحرّرِ والمقاومةِ في العالمِ هي أن تصبَّ في كنفِ الدولةِ وشرعيّتها. وإن عظمةَ الدولةِ أن تخدمَ شعبها. نتساءل أين نحن من هذه العظمة؟ الدولة هي الكيان الأسمى، ولأنها كذلك لا تتقبّلُ الدولةُ المحترمَةُ الالتباسَ والازدواجيّة والاستضعاف. فلا يوجد دولتان أو دولٌ على أرضٍ واحدة، ولا يوجدُ جيشان أو جيوشٌ في دولةٍ واحدة. ولا يوجدُ شعبان أو شعوبُ في وطنٍ واحد. إن أيَّ تلاعبٍ بهذه الثوابت يهدد وحدةَ الدولة.

6. نحن في هذا الصرح البطريركي نطرحُ مشاريعَ حلولٍ لا مشاريعَ مشاكل. والحلول هي لكل لبنان ولكل لبناني ولبنانية. فالحلُّ الحقيقيُّ هو حلٌّ لكلّ الشعبِ لا لفئةٍ منه دون سواها. ونحن اللبنانيّين مدعوون إلى مقاربةِ الأفكارِ بروحٍ إيجابيّة بعيدًا عن السلبيّة، خاصّةً حين تَصدر عن هذا الصَرح البطريركي، لأنّنا هنا لا نُفكِّرُ إلا إيجابيًّا، ولا نُفكّر إلا وطنيًّا، ولا نُفكّر إلا بكلِّ لبنانيٍّ ولبنانيّة. اللبنانيون جميعُهم أحباؤنا. في هذا الصرح، كلّف الزعماء المسيحيّون والمسلمون البطريرك الياس الحويّك برئاسة الوفد اللبنانيّ إلى مؤتمر السلام في Versailles سنة 1919، والتكلّم باسم جميع اللبنانيّين والمطالبة بدولة لبنان الكبير. وفي هذا الصرح، عقدت الشخصيّات اللبنانيّة المسيحيّة والإسلاميّة مؤتمرًا في 25 كانون الأوّل 1941حول البطريرك أنطون عريضة للمطالبة “بأستقلال لبنان التام والناجز والمضمون من الدول”. ايها الاحباء؛ إنّ الدم اللبنانيّ الساري في عروقكم هو الذي قادكم اليوم عفويًّا بالرغم من كل الاخطار إلى هذا الصرح البطريركيّ بالذات، لن نخيّب آمالكم.

7. أنتم الـذين هُنا، والذين هناك وراء البحار تشاركوننا هذه اللحظات عبر محطات التلفزيون. أنتم كلكم، تُشكّلون مصدرَ ثقتِنا بالمستقبل. أنتم مستقبلُ لبنان ولبنانُ المستقبل. لبنان للجميع أو لا يكون، والجميعُ للبنان أو لن يكونوا. مجيئُكم اليومَ من كلِّ مكانٍ يُجدّد الأملَ ويطردُ الإحباط. مجيئُكم يؤكّد أنَّ ما من حقٍّ يموتُ ووراءه مطالِبٌ ومواطنةٌ ومواطنٌ ومناضلٌ ومقاومٌ وثائرٌ وشعب.

8. انني أفهمُ تمامًا صرختَكم وغضبَكم، وأفهمُ انتفاضتَكم وثورتكم.
لا تَسكُتوا عن تعدّدِ الولاءات، لا تَسكُتوا عن الفساد، لا تسكتوا عن سلب أموالكم، لا تَسكُتوا عن الحدودِ السائبة، لا تَسكُتوا عن خرقِ أجوائِنا، لا تَسكُتوا عن فشلِ الطبقةِ السياسيّة، لا تَسكُتوا عن الخِياراتِ الخاطئة والانحياز، لا تَسكُتوا عن فوضى التحقيقِ في جريمةِ المرفأ، لا تَسكُتوا عن تسييسِ القضاء، لا تَسكُتوا عن السلاحِ غيرِ الشرعيِّ وغيرِ اللبنانيّ، لا تَسكُتوا عن سَجنِ الأبرياءِ وإطلاقِ المذنِبين، لا تَسكُتوا عن التوطين الفلسطيني ودمج النازحين، لا تَسكُتوا عن مصادرة القرار الوطني، لا تَسكتوا عن الانقلابِ على الدولةِ والنظام، لا تَسكُتوا عن عدمِ تأليفِ حكومة، لا تَسكُتوا على عدمِ إجراءِ الإصلاحات، ولا تَسكُتوا عن نسيان الشهداء. شهداؤنا ذخيرةُ وجودِنا الروحيِّ والوطنيّ. وويلٌ لمن يَنسى شهداءَه ويُقايض عليهم.

9. لبنان شعبٌ وليس أفرادًا، وأنتم، أنتم شعبٌ لبنان. أنتم لبنان بما يمثّلُ من رسالةٍ وقيمٍ وروحٍ، ومن تعدديّةٍ ثقافيّةٍ ودينيّة. والبطريركُ لا يفرق بين لبنانيٍّ وآخَر، لأن التضامنَ أساسُ وِحدتنا، ووِحدتُنا في لبنانَ واحدٍ هو مشروعنا التاريخيّ.

10.أيّها الأحبّاء، الآتون من مختلف المناطق اللبنانيّة ومن مختلف الطوائف والأحزاب، يجمعنا لونٌ واحد هو لبنان، إليه ننتمي بالمواطنة وليس بالدين، اي لبنان الدولة المدنية الفاصلة بين الدين والدولة فلنحافظ عليه. فلبنان فخرُنا وإعتزازنا بما يمثّل من درّةٍ ثمينة، وجسرٍ ثقافيّ وحضاريّ وإنسانيّ بين الشرق والغرب على ضفّة المتوسّط.
عشتم! وعاش لبنان!

#البطريركية_المارونية #البطريرك_الراعي #شركة_ومحبة #حياد_لبنان #لبنان_الكبير #الراعي #بكركي #معك_لمجد_لبنان

His Eminence Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai’s speech at
The popular rally in Bkerki—Saturday, February 27, 2021
Bkerki Web site/10 March/2021

Long live Lebanon, united, independent, neutrally active, free, strong and prosperous. Lebanon is communion and charity.
1. You have come, men and women of all agers, from all across the nation despite the dangers of the Corona virus pandemic to support the proposal of active neutrality and the international conference on Lebanon. In a word, you have come demanding to save Lebanon. Together, yes together, we will save Lebanon. Thank you for your love, thank you to all those who organized the rally, and thank you to all those who committed time, talent and treasure. Greetings to all those who join us from across the globe. May God protect you from this pandemic and heal those who have been afflicted by it. Let us now overserve a minute of silence for the lives that perished due to this epidemic and the victims of the Beirut seaport explosion.

2. You have come to support the demand to declare Lebanon’s positive and active neutrality.
No two people disagree that the abandonment of the policy of active neutrality by either the State or political factions is the main reason for all the turmoil and wars that have decimated our nation. Historical experiences, both of yesteryears and today, have shown that when some are drawn to regional or international alliances, the nation gets divided, the constitution gets suspended, governance gets disrupted, the Lebanese national accord is set back, and wars break out. The essence of an independent Lebanon is neutrality. In this regard, the very foundation of greater Lebanon was to create a neutral entity in the Levant whose role was and still is to form a link between the region’s peoples and their civilizations and a bridge between East and West. The choice of the policy of neutrality is to preserve Lebanon in its current political system, which is essentially based on common citizenship, not on religious affiliation, and distinguished by its cultural and religious pluralism, openness to the international community, and non-alliance. We renew with you the call to endorse Lebanon’s neutrality in order to give it a viable and legitimate constitutional character as it has been declared in various statements: in the document establishing the state of Lebanon, in the speeches of the presidents of the republic, in the statement of the Independence Cabinet of Ministers, the statements of all successive governments, and the Baabda Declaration on June 11, 2012.

3. You have come to support the demand for an international conference on Lebanon
With you, we did not call for an International Conference on Lebanon until it became evident that all other possible initiatives have reached a dead end, which made it impossible for us to agree on the destiny of our country. Even politicians, involved in the decision making process, were not able to sit at the table for dialogue. Consequently, it has become known to us that all attempts at reconciliation have been rejected—a situation that led to chaos, the fall of the State, and seizure of power. For to keep things as they are has certainly produced an impoverished population and the collapse of the State, and that is what we do not accept. We are facing a coup d’état, affecting every aspect of public life; a coup against our society and the cultural specificity of our country in the Levant. The first coup is against the National Accord Charter, which was approved by the Taif Conference in 1989 held with international and Arab sponsorship. But its spirit has not yet been fully implemented. The Constitution was amended on its basis, and, to be sure, loopholes appeared that deeply affected the function of the State until it was paralyzed. If our politicians were able to hold a responsibly dialogue to solidify the National Accord and address the gaps in the Constitution, we would never have called for an internal conference sponsored by the United Nations to help us solve these issues that have paralyzed our political system.

4. What do we want?
We want the international conference to affirm the sovereignty of Lebanon, which is constantly under threat, and to recognize its international borders.
We want the international conference to renew support for the Lebanese democratic system that expresses its adherence to freedom, justice and equality.
We want the international conference to declare Lebanon’s neutrality so that it will no longer fall prey to conflicts, wars, and divisions, and to strengthen the balance of power to the exclusion of sectarian interests that always cause internal destabilization.
We want the international conference to exert every possible effort to implement international resolutions concerning Lebanon, which have been shelved or partially implemented. The implementation of these resolutions would safeguard Lebanon’s sovereignty, and allow the Lebanese State to extend its legitimate authority over all its territory without any partnership or competition.
We want the international conference to provide support to the Lebanese army to be the sole defender of the nation; an army capable of absorbing the military capabilities of the Lebanese people through a legitimate defense system responsible of war and peace decisions.
We want the international conference to put an end to an emerging plan to resettle the Palestinians refugees in Lebanon and to safely return displaced Syrians to their homes.
We do not want the international conference to send armies and to establish military installations in our country.
We do not want to harm Lebanon’s existence, as it cannot be subject for reconsideration, and its borders cannot be modified. For the partnership that exists between Christian and Muslims is untouchable, and its democracy cannot be reversed. Lebanon’s indispensable role cannot be compromised, and its identity cannot be forged. Any development of the system, and this is the year of progress, should not be at the expense of what we have agreed upon since the establishment of the State of Lebanon. Development does not mean revocation, but improvement. Development does not mean abolishing Constitutional Charters, but rather clarifying what is ambiguous in them, so as to integrate constitutional powers. Development does not mean erasing the past, but rather solidifying historical constants. We have the right to live a decent life in our homeland.
We were born to live in the pastures of permanent peace, not on the battlefields of permanent wars. Nations’ problems have become solvable through dialogue, negotiations and peaceful relations. The destiny of humankind is to create friendship, not enmity. And to abide in love, not bitterness and resentment. Lebanon’s message is to be an example of peaceful human relations. No matter the circumstances and the times, no one will succeed in undermining Lebanon and its message.
Lebanon is the message that Saint Pope John Paul II spoke about during his historic visit to Lebanon, which is again reinforced in two successive letters by His Holiness Pope Francis, who attaches special importance to the role that Lebanon plays in the world. His Holiness Pope Francis continues to admonish the nations of the earth to support Lebanon and to exert every effort to save its unique place in the world. We greet His holiness and we thank him for his love for Lebanon.
Dear Beloved;

5. All that we are proposing today, in terms of declaring Lebanon’s active neutrality and the convocation of special international conference, is to renew our resolve for a free, sovereign, independent and stable existence. All we are proposing is to revive the scattered, crippled and confiscated Lebanese state. We have liberated the land, let us now liberate the State. Let us free it from everything that hinders her authority and its function. The greatness of all liberation and resistance movements in the world is that they feed into the State and its legitimacy. The greatness of the state is to serve its people. We wonder how far removed we are from this greatness? The State is the supreme entity, and because it is so, a State that respects its institutions, does not tolerate ambiguity, duplication, and vulnerability. There are no two states or states on the land, and there are no two armies in one country. There can never be two states in the same country and there can never be two separate and competing armed forces in the same country. Furthermore, there can never be two or more peoples in one country. Any tampering with these constants threatens the unity of the nation.

6. In this Patriarchal edifice, we offer projects of solutions, not projects of problems. The solutions are for all Lebanon and every citizen. The real solution is a solution for all the people, not just for any sectarian group at the expense of others. We the Lebanese are called to approach ideas in a positive spirit away from negativity, especially when they spring forth from this Patriarchal edifice, because here we only think positively, and we only think nationally, and we only think about all Lebanese. The Lebanese are all our beloved. In this edifice, Christian and Muslim leaders commissioned Patriarch Elias Howeik to lead the Lebanese delegation to the peace conference in Versailles in 1919 to speak in the name of all the Lebanese and to demand the creation of the State of greater Lebanon. In this edifice, Lebanese Christian and Islamic statesmen held a conference on December 25, 1941 under the tuteledge of Patriarch Antoun Arida, demanding Lebanon’s full and viable independence guaranteed by the international community.

Dear Beloved;
The Lebanese blood flowing in your veins is what led you today spontaneously, despite all dangers, to this particular Patriarchal edifice. We will not disappoint your hopes.
7. You are the ones here and those out there overseas, share these moments with us on TV stations. You are the source of our confidence in the future. You are the future of Lebanon and Lebanon of the future. Lebanon is for all or can never be, and everyone is for Lebanon or they can never be. Your coming today from everywhere renews hope and expels frustration. Your coming confirms that no right dies, for which there is a claimant, a citizen, a fighter, a revolutionary and a people.

8. I fully understand your cry and your anger, and I understand your uprising and your revolution. Do not be silent about the plurality of loyalties; do not be silent about corruption; do not remain silent about the embezzlement of your money; do not remain silent about uncontrolled borderers; do not remain silent about the violation of our airspace; do not be silent about the failures of the political class; do not remain silent about the wrong choices and alignment; do not be silent about the chaotic investigations of the crimes of the seaport explosion; do not be silent about the politicization of the judiciary; do not remain silent about illegal weapons, which are not under the legitimate authority of the State; do not remain silent on the imprisonment of the innocent and the release of the guilty; do not be silent about the Palestinian resettlement and the integration of the displaced Syrians; do not remain silent about the confiscation of the national decision; do not remain silent about the coup against the state and the regime; do not be silent about not forming a government; do not remain silent about the failure to implement reforms; and do not be silent about the forgetfulness of the martyrs. Our martyrs are the relics of our spiritual and national existence. Woe to those who forget their martyrs and barter for them.

9. Lebanon is a community of people, not separate individuals, and you, you are the people of Lebanon. You are Lebanon with all that it represents: the message, values, spirit and religious and cultural pluralism. The Patriarch does not differentiate between one Lebanese and another, because solidarity is the basis of our unity, and our unity in one Lebanon is our historical project.
Beloved, coming from different regions and different sects and parties, we are united by one color that is Lebanon to which we belong on the basis of common citizenship, not religion. This is Lebanon, the civil state that separates religion and state. Let us preserve it. Lebanon is our pride in what it represents as a precious jewel, a cultural, civilizational and humanitarian bridge between East and West on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
Long Live Lebanon.
#maronites #maronite_patriarchate #bkerki #patriarch_rai #communion_charity
#lebanon #active_neutrality
#البطريركية_المارونية #البطريرك_الراعي #شركة_ومحبة #حياد_لبنان #لبنان_الكبير #الراعي #بكركي

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi: International Conference Calls Meant to Face Coup Situation
Naharnet/February 27/2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi said Saturday that his calls for a UN-sponsored international conference for Lebanon are meant to face a “coup situation” in the country.
“Our calls for a UN-sponsored international conference are to face a coup situation. Leaving the situation as it is while the state collapses and people get devastated is completely unacceptable for us,” said Rahi addressing crowds of Lebanese who came to Bkirki to support his calls.
“No two can disagree that failure to abide by neutrality involves us in problems. The independent Lebanese entity is based on neutrality,” he added.
On the outcome required from an international conference, Rahi said: “What do we want from an international conference? We want it to stabilize the Lebanese entity which is seriously endangered. We want it to support the democratic system, freedom and justice. We want it to announce Lebanon’s neutralization. We want it to take all measures needed to implement all international decisions for Lebanon to save Lebanon’s sovereignty and allow the Lebanese state to spread its authority on all Lebanese regions. We want it to support the Lebanese army to make it capable of solely defending the country.”
The Patriarch also voiced rejection of any attempt to naturalize Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, pushing for the return of Syrian refugees back home.
“We want the international conference to set a clear plan preventing the naturalization of Palestinians, and to return the Syrian refugees back home,” he said. With enthusiasm, the crowds cheered as Rahi’s word echoed.
He urged the Lebanese to seek their rightful rights to live in dignity.
“No right shall be wasted. I understand your pain and anger well. I understand your revolt. Do not stay silent about politicizing the judiciary. Do not stay silent about illegal arms. Do not stay silent about innocents kept in prisons, or the naturalization of Palestinians. Do not stay silent about the coup against the state and system. Do not stay silent about the delayed government formation, or about reforms or our martyrs. Do not stay silent about illegal arms.””We liberated the land, so let us liberate the state from everything that hinders its authority and its performance. The greatness of the liberation and resistance movements in the world fall in the interest of the state and its legitimacy,” he concluded.

Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi: Neutrality is the core essence of an independent Lebanese entity,”
NNA/February 27/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, addressed the popular crowds that flocked to Bkirki this afternoon to show solidarity with the positions of the Patriarch, emphasizing that “‘the essence of the independent Lebanese entity is neutrality.”
In his delivered speech, al-Rahi said: “Long live a united, neutral, active, positive, sovereign, independent, and loving Lebanon…You came from all across Lebanon despite the dangers of Corona to support two things: the proposal of neutrality and the launch of an international conference for Lebanon under the patronage of the United Nations. You came to demand the rescue of Lebanon, and together we shall save Lebanon!”
The Patriarch also hailed all Lebanese watching through TV channels, and gave a special salute to the Muslim clerics who were present in Bkirki today.
“The state’s veering away from the policy of neutrality is the reason for our current sufferings, and experience has proven that whenever some align themselves with a regional axis, wars break out and the state is divided,” he underscored.
“We are with you in the call for an international conference, for all other solutions have reached a dead end, and we have not been able to agree together on the fate of our country,” he went on.
“The concerned politicians did not have the courage to sit at the same table to solve the nation’s affairs, and have let the state collapse and the people to go hungry and be devastated, and this we will not accept in any way,” emphasized the Patriarch.
He added, “Lebanon was established to be a bridge of communication between East and West, and choosing neutrality is to preserve the state of Lebanon in its current existence, its cultural and religious pluralism, its openness to all countries and its non-alignment.”
Rahi reminded that “neutrality” was mentioned when the state of Lebanon was established, and in the addresses of the presidents of the republic and the government of independence, far-reaching the Baabda declaration.
“We called for an international conference because all our proposals have been refused, so that the state would fall and power would be seized…We are facing a coup situation in every sense of the word against the Lebanese society and everything that our country represents in terms of civilization in this East; first and foremost being a coup against the Taif Accord,” the Patriarch asserted.
“We want the international conference to consecrate the Lebanese entity that is seriously at risk, to set its international borders, and to support Lebanon’s democratic system and neutrality declaration, so that it will no longer be a victim of conflicts, and no longer a land of wars and divisions,” al-Rahi underlined.
He continued to emphasize that the call for the international conference is aimed at taking all measures to implement the international decisions concerning Lebanon that have not been implemented or that were partially implemented, in order to establish its independence and sovereignty so that the state can extend its authority over all Lebanese territories, without any partnership or competition.
“We want the conference to provide support for the Lebanese army to be the sole defender of Lebanon. We want the conference to put in place a rapid implementation plan to prevent the resettlement of Palestinians and to secure the safe return of displaced Syrians,” the Patriarch underscored.
He continued to stress on the right of the Lebanese to live a decent life in their homeland, saying: “We were born to live in the meadows of permanent peace, not in the arenas of permanent war, and man’s destiny is to create friends, not enemies!”
He called on the Lebanese not to be silent about the corruption in their country, nor about the chaos in the Beirut Port crime investigation, nor about the illegitimate and non-Lebanese weapons, nor about the imprisonment of the innocent, nor about the Palestinian settlement and integration of the displaced within Lebanon’s society, nor about the confiscation of the national decision, nor about the coup against the state and the system, nor about the failure to form a government and the failure to carry out reforms…
“What we are proposing today is to renew our free, sovereign, independent and stable existence, and the revival of the scattered, idle and seized state…We have liberated the land, let us free it from all that hinders its authority and performance,” the Patriarch affirmed.


Thousands rally to support Lebanon’s Patriarch call for an international conference
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/February 27/2021
Thousands of Lebanese rallied in support of Lebanon’s top Christian cleric Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai’s call for an international conference to take measures that will implement international acts to save Lebanon and allow the state to extend its authority over its entire territory.
Al-Rai has been calling for the conference for months without a direct position on Iran-backed Hezbollah. Last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah attacked al-Rai for his proposition adding that the conference will open the floor to foreign interference. During the rally Al-Rai added that the proposed conference must provide support to the Lebanese army for it to be the only defender of the state.
Lebanon has been facing an unprecedented political and economic crisis resulting from decades of governmental corruption and mismanagement along with the growing power that Iran-backed Hezbollah has in the country which resulted in an isolation of the small nation from its Arab and international historical allies. The Maronite church has always played a fundamental role in Lebanon’s history. Patriarch Elias Hoayek headed a Lebanese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 which called for the establishment of the state of Lebanon. Lebanon’s former Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir had a major role in shaping Lebanon’s current political system after the Taif agreement which ended the civil war. He is also considered the leading religious figure which resulted in Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Al-Rai called on the Lebanese to not be silent about the multiplicity of loyalties to foreign nations, the stealing of their money, the loose solutions, the breach of Lebanese airspace. “Also do not remain silent about the failure of the political class, nor about the chaos of the investigation into the port crime, nor about the politicization of the judiciary, nor about illegal and non-Lebanese weapons, nor about the coup against the state and the regime,” he added. Al- Rai added that if the constitutional flaws had been addressed, he would not have called for an international conference to find a solution to the problems that paralyze the work of the constitution.“We want the international conference to renew support for the democratic system that expresses the Lebanese’s adherence to freedom, justice and equality, and we want it to declare “Lebanon’s neutrality” so that it will no longer be a victim of conflicts and wars and a land of divisions,” al-Rai added. Al-Rahi added that any development of the political system may not be at the expense of what the Lebanese have agreed upon since the establishment of the state of Lebanon. “We liberated the land, so let us liberate the state from everything that hinders its authority and performance. There are no two states or multiple states on one land, no multiple armies in one country, and no multiple people in one homeland,” al-Rahi added. “Development does not mean veto, but improvement, and it does not mean canceling the constitutional charters, but rather clarifying the ambiguities in them in order to consolidate the authorities and our right to live a decent life in our homeland,” al-Rahi added.
Al-Rai added that the aim of establishing the state of Lebanon was to create a neutral entity in this east that will form a link and a bridge between East and West. “Lebanon’s departure from the policy of neutrality was the main reason for its fall through trials and wars, and whenever some sided with a regional and international axis, the people were divided and the constitution suspended,” al-Rai added. Al-Rai concluded his statement saying that the Lebanese were born to live in the meadows of permanent peace, and they refuse to live in permanent battlefields.
“We are children of peace, and we are a people who want all of their history to be a history of friendships, not hostilities, and Lebanon’s geographical advantage is that it lives through communication, not hatred,” he added.

Mgr Rahi : « Lorsque certaines personnes se rangent du côté d’un axe régional, les guerres éclatent, l’Etat se divise alors que l’essence de l’entité libanaise indépendante est la neutralité
ANI/Samedi 27 Fevrier 2021
Le patriarche maronite le cardinal Bécharra Boutros Rahi a salué la foule qui s’est agglomérée au siège du patriarcat à Bkerké malgré la pandémie du corona et particulièrement les religieux musulmans qui se sont déplacés. « Vous êtes là en signe de soutien à la neutralité et à la proposition de la tenue d’un congrès international pour le Liban sous les auspices des Nations Unies. Vous êtes venus là pour réclamer le sauvetage du Liban. Et nous tous ensemble nous allons sauver le Liban. La non-conformité de l’Etat à la politique de neutralité est la cause de nos souffrances. Les expériences précédentes ont montré que plus certaines personnes se rangent du côté d’un axe régional, les guerres éclatent, l’Etat se divise alors que l’essence de l’entité libanaise indépendante est la neutralité. »
Mgr Rahi a appelé de ses voeux les présents à ne pas se taire face à la corruption et au chaos qui caractérise le processus de l’enquête sur l’explosion du port de Beyrouth. Il a de même appelé la foule à ne pas se taire face aux armes illégaux non libanais, aux prisonniers innocents, à l’implantation des palestiniens et à l’intégration des réfugiés ainsi que face à la confiscation de la décision nationale et au coup d’Etat contre l’Etat, à la non formation d’un gouvernement et l’implantation des réformes. »