Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday reiterated his rejection of weapons in the hands of non-state actors and called on Lebanese parties to end their “subordination” to foreign powers. “Lebanon needs new leaders and politicians and it needs the voice of the youth so that it can open a new chapter in its history,” al-Rahi said during a mass in Harissa.

The patriarch again called for drafting a new social contract based on the 1943 National Pact, an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multi-confessional state. He stressed that Lebanon must not be a subordinate to any foreign state.

Addressing the young generation, al-Rahi added: “Lebanon needs your voice and support for the armed forces, as any weapons outside this framework are illegitimate and would breed other illegitimate arms, which would lead to the law of the jungle.” [Link]