Violent unrest has flared In Lebanon with dozens of people injured or detained in running battles between security forces and anti-government protesters. The demonstrations began 2 months ago amid public fury at the economic crisis engulfing the nation. The Maronite Catholic Church in the country has taken a strong stand demanding political transparency, mediating between the parties and supporting those most in need.
The leader of the Catholic Maronite Church in Lebanon, Cardinal Bechara Boutros-Rai, is urging the country’s political leaders to take responsibility for widespread corruption and the failure of governance and to name a technical administration to tackle the crisis gripping the country.
Archbishop Paul Sayah, deputy for external relations of the Patriarchate of Antiochia, noted that one remarkable thing about the ongoing protests is that they have united people who would normally be divided along religious and sectarian lines. But first, he explained what has led to the current crisis.
Corruption, Archbishop Sayah explained, has been rampant for a long time. Coupled with that, he said, is the fact that the government has not been listening to the people, to the Patriarch or to anyone who has been trying to tell political leaders about the situation and warn them “that overlooking the will of the people and the misery that the people are experiencing” in the long run, is a disastrous choice.
He noted that poverty in Lebanon affects a large part of the population and, together with the impact of the enormous number of refugees in the nation, is an explosive issue. He explained the protesters are asking for the fall of the government and said that although the government did submit its resignation about 45 days ago, no new government has been formed and the situation is getting worse by the day.
He reiterated that the social situation is taken very seriously by the Patriarchate and said it hosted a meeting last week for some 30 or 40 institutions to try to coordinate social work. The parishes, he said, who have the pulse of what is going on at a grass-roots level are tasked with reaching out to those most in need. “This is an issue that we are taking very seriously,” Archbishop Sayah concluded. Vatican News Department
