Al-Rahi affirms Maronite patriarchate remains impartial toward all candidates

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi delivered a speech in which he emphasized that the patriarchate remains impartial towards all candidates and is consulting with these factions regarding the election of a president. 

He addressed the eight-month presidential vacuum that has left the country and its people in a state of devastation. 

Al-Rahi's words came in the patriarchal edifice in Bkerki, on Monday, during the proceedings of the Synod of the Maronite Church under the chairmanship of the Maronite Patriarch and the participation of Maronite bishops from Lebanon and abroad. 

He pointed out that the right to run for office and nominate candidates is a constitutional democratic right, adding that delegates emphasized the need for the elections to be conducted with a democratic and consensual spirit, free from tensions, conflicts, and divisions, and respecting the dignity of candidates is a fundamental ethical principle for living together in peace, trust, and cooperation for the sake of the nation.