Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria and Jerusalem and the supreme head of the sect in the world, Patriarch Youssef I Al-Absi, at the head of a delegation from the Patriarchate.
During the meeting, Patriarch Al-Absi delivered a speech in which he thanked Salam for receiving him, expressing his appreciation for his person and his solidarity with him in what he described as “wise, firm and bold national positions, stemming from a bright thought and a big heart.”
Al-Absi said that Salam assumed responsibility in “exceptional circumstances at home and abroad,” adding: “You have proven from the first moment that you are not only a ruler or a president, but a statesman in every sense of the word,” indicating that he rises above “small calculations and narrow interests,” and aspires to build a state that enjoys stability, prosperity, strength, unity, sovereignty, and pride.
He added that the delegation came to thank Salam for what he offers “not only to the sect, but to all the Lebanese,” considering that the required mentality is based on transforming sectarianism into democracy, and the “exclusive ego” into a comprehensive and participatory outlook, allowing everyone to feel that the country is theirs, and that they must perform their duties as much as they demand their rights.
Al-Absi stressed that his church is “a unifying church, a church of communication and dialogue, far from isolation,” and does not isolate anyone or exclude any citizen, but rather sees in every individual an added value.
He pointed out that centers affiliated with the church received a number of displaced people, especially from southern Lebanon, and are still hosting some of them to this day, pointing out that a number of parishes were affected by the Israeli attacks, and that the church sought and continues to seek to be present on the humanitarian scene to help and alleviate the tragedies.
Al-Absi concluded by expressing his appreciation for what he described as signs of respect and love embodied by Salam’s reception of the delegation and his previous visit to the Patriarchate House, wishing him success in his journey “towards a free, independent, prosperous and stable Lebanon,” and a homeland in which all Lebanese see themselves and feel comfortable and stable.
