Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai affirmed, during a Marian evening entitled “To My Mother” held in Bkerke, that “coexistence cannot continue without morals and respect for the sacred,” stressing that he “forgives the abusers but is saddened by their morals and outlook.”

The evening was held under the patronage of the shepherd and in his presence in the church of the outer courtyard of the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerke, “Cappella of the Resurrection,” and was performed by the hymn Dalia Freifer, with the participation of Fadi Abi Hashem and the Saint Nemat Allah-Tamish Choir, led by Father Antoine Salama, and presented by media personality Grecia Antoun, in addition to an expressive dance performance by the students of the Sacred Heart School.

The evening was attended by Information Minister Paul Morcos, along with a number of bishops, priests, nuns, MPs, current and former ministers, political, social, military, media and trade union figures, in addition to a crowd of believers.

In his closing speech, Al-Rahi thanked all the participants in making the evening a success, considering it “a stand of conscience and prayer towards every mother in front of her sacrifices following the example of our heavenly mother,” adding: “The face of my mother is the face of my nation, and the face of our heavenly mother is the face of our church.”

He pointed out that the evening represented an introduction to the Marian month of May, in which “we honor our Mother Mary, who accompanies us in all the difficult circumstances of life and accompanies our country and the world.”

Commenting on what he described as “attacks and insults,” the shepherd said “in a paternal spirit”: “We have one teacher, Christ, and his words are not just words, but a living code for every Christian, teaching us to forgive and forgive.”

He added: “I am sad for them, not for them. I am sad for their morals and their view of us, and for the careless desecration of our sanctities through social media platforms.”

He continued: “What we care about is the dignity of the human being, the nation, and safe coexistence, but their situation does not bode well and does not guarantee the sanctity of coexistence, which constitutes the value of Lebanon’s charter.”

Al-Rahi concluded by saying: “We forgive them and call on them to return to their homeland, good morals and sacred humanity.”