Maronite Bishops call for reaching new electoral law before extending parliament’s mandate

Maronite Bishops said on Monday that deputies should work on ratifying a new electoral before approving the extension of the parliament’s mandate and setting a date to hold the upcoming elections.          

Following their exceptional meeting which was held under the chairmanship of Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai, the Maronite Bishops called for speeding up the procedure of forming a new cabinet and refraining from slander campaigns.                    

On another note, the Bishops said that the incidents in Tripoli and Sidon as well as the direct intervention in the Syrian crisis are means of creating a distance from the Baabda Declaration.                    

The Bishops also denounced the ongoing abduction of Bishops Boulos Yaziji, and Yuhanna Ibrahim, and considered their capture as a flagrant infringement of coexistence, causing concern in light of the escalating Syrian crisis.      

The two Syrian bishops kidnapped by gunmen on Monday April 22nd are still missing, church sources in Damascus and Aleppo said, contradicting a report that the men had been freed.    

Pope Francis urged the release of the two Aleppian bishops, 2 days after their disappearance.        

They have been identified as Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Alexandria Boulos Yaziji, and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo Yuhanna Ibrahim.