President Aoun: Beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoayek shows holiness and patriotism can coexist

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, marking the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoayek, said the declaration affirms that "holiness and patriotism can come together in one person's life."

He said Hoayek saw "service to God as service to humanity, and service to the Church as a mission to the nation."

Aoun said Hoayek’s struggle "was not the struggle of a sect defending itself, but of a homeland that embraces everyone," recalling the patriarch's words: "I am for all Lebanese."

He added that Hoayek's beatification, coinciding with the centenary of the proclamation of the Lebanese Constitution, "is not merely a coincidence, but a sign of divine providence that accompanied Lebanon at the moment of its founding and continues to accompany it through its hardships and challenges."

Aoun said Lebanon's mission "is greater than its crises," and that its founding vision "is worth preserving and defending."

He called on the Lebanese to draw inspiration from Hoayek's life, describing it as a model of steadfastness in times of uncertainty and faith in Lebanon.

Aoun concluded by urging that the occasion serve as "a renewal of the commitment to the vision Hoayek championed: Lebanon as a land of coexistence and a civilizational message between East and West."