Metropolitan Elias Audi: A call to repentance and social responsibility

Metropolitan Elias Audi, the head of Beirut and its Suburbs Greek Orthodox Church, expressed his view that "if we look at the incident of Zacchaeus in this country, we find ourselves surrounded by many who resemble Zacchaeus before his repentance, their actions based on oppressing citizens and looting their money."

He considered "this became evident in the recent budget, taxes, and fees imposed on citizens without corresponding social and health advancements, and improvement in the citizens' quality of life."

In his Sunday sermon, he continued, "The authorities have intensified in suppressing the citizen by remaining silent about its explosion and overlooking its perpetrators, squandering its savings, leading the country to the abyss, and solidifying the vacuum in most institutions, especially the presidency."

He said: "Today, they are trying to heal the wounds of the national economy resulting from their management failure, draining what little money remains in the pockets of citizens, instead of focusing on regulating the ports, preventing smuggling, combating waste, corruption, tax evasion, and collecting dues."

Audi first called on the officials to repent like Zacchaeus, see the Lord's face in every person under their care, and diligently work to return every penny to its rightful owner.

He emphasized that one of the primary duties of humans is to respect their fellow humans and accept them even if they have a different opinion.

Audi stated: "The low level reached by the mode of communication among the Lebanese, especially through social media, is saddening. It is even more disheartening to express deep-seated hatred without moral and national constraints by those who reject others and their ideas and positions simply because they do not suit them, imposing their thoughts and positions."

He asked, "Where is the democracy that we praise? And where is the freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed by the constitution?"