Cardinal Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi Prays for Success of Ongoing Negotiations

Cardinal Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi presided over a Father's Day Mass organized by the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office at the Patriarchal seat’s outdoor altar in the church of Al-Baha at the patriarchal complex in Bkerke, known as the Resurrection Chapel. He was assisted by Metropolitans Paul Abd al-Sater, Hanna Alwan, Elias Nassar, the General Patriarchal Secretary Father Fadi Tabet, the Private Patriarchal Secretary Father Camillo Mikhail, the coordinator of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office Abbot Simon Abu Abdo, the regional head of the Barefoot Carmelite Order Father Michel Abboud, alongside several metropolitans, major superiors, priests, and nuns. Present were the family of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office led by coordinator Rita Khoury, Mauritania’s consul Eli Nassar, Keserwan’s Civil Organization head Danny Khoury, a delegation from the Lions Club, and a number of dignitaries and faithful attendees.

Following the reading of the Holy Gospel, Patriarch Al-Rahi delivered a sermon titled “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Luke 10:21). He explained that this prayer reveals one of the most beautiful moments in the Gospel where Jesus prays to the Heavenly Father, expressing joy, gratitude, and surrender rooted in the eternal love between Father and Son. The Gospel passage shows Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, lifting his eyes and heart to the Father, acknowledging His greatness, wisdom, and love. This prayer demonstrates Jesus’ constant union and trust in the Father during His mission. He prayed not as a distant man but as a son intimately familiar with his Father’s heart. Jesus reveals God’s universal fatherhood and reminds that true fatherhood on earth derives its meaning and dignity from God’s fatherhood. The earthly father’s goodness depends on his reflection of God’s mercy, love, sacrifice, and tenderness.

Patriarch Al-Rahi welcomed all attendees to celebrate this Divine Liturgy in honor of Father’s Day, extending greetings to all fathers present and those in families and society. He congratulated them on their day, thanked God for their calling and mission, and prayed for their blessing, strength, and wisdom. He also prayed for deceased fathers, asking God to reward their love and sacrifices and grant them eternal rest in His heavenly kingdom. Special appreciation was extended to the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office for its service to families, support of couples, and promotion of a culture of love and family stability. The family remains the primary school of faith and values, with the father as a fundamental pillar and witness of love, giving, and responsibility. The father not only gives life but accompanies it, providing security, trust, and guidance, planting faith, hope, and love in his children, leading them to know God, the first and ultimate Father. The office celebrated the graduation of the fifth cohort of the Diploma in Listening and Family Accompaniment and the first cohort of trainers on fertility care and related disciplines, in cooperation with the Family Institute at Université La Sagesse in Beirut, with Metropolitan Paul Abd al-Sater present.

He remarked that today’s Gospel states God reveals His secrets to the simple, inviting all to realize that faith is measured not by knowledge about God but by living with Him. The Heavenly Father seeks open hearts rather than proud ones; thus, children and the simple understand the kingdom’s mysteries better than many wise and learned people. Fatherhood is not a force imposed but love that gives itself. A true father is measured by what he gives and his presence in his children’s lives. Every father is called to reflect, even imperfectly, the love of the Heavenly Father who never abandons His children but accompanies, supports, and guides them.

Patriarch Al-Rahi then said, “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Luke 10:21), relating this prayer to Lebanon’s current situation. He urged Lebanon to raise its eyes to God amid the crises and challenges it faces. The country’s condition is painful, and the Patriarch expressed sorrow over the ongoing conflicts and the fact that people’s fate is held hostage to struggles unrelated to them. Lebanon remains a land of imposed and ongoing wars with repeated events that are no longer acceptable or justifiable. Citizens await a glimmer of hope amid worsening circumstances. The pain is intensified by the deaths of innocent civilians and soldiers, including children, youth, parents, and families who pay the price for unwanted wars. He questioned the purpose and beneficiaries of such losses and stated that no human loss can be justified. People are tired of war rhetoric, threats, and long waits. Therefore, he prayed for the success of negotiations and ongoing efforts, for reason to prevail over force, and dialogue over confrontation. On Father’s Day, he emphasized Lebanon’s need for true fatherhood: responsibility that protects, wisdom that unites, and conscience that prioritizes humanity.

He added that last week, the head of the Lebanese Association of Certified Public Accountants, Mr. Elie Abboud, visited with a delegation to explain the association’s reality and the auditing profession in Lebanon, requesting support for legislative amendments related to protecting and regulating the profession. This association is a key pillar in safeguarding the national economy, preserving transparency, boosting confidence in public and private institutions, and ensuring minimum professional oversight necessary for a sound economic system. Thus, it must be preserved, its laws updated, and it granted the necessary trust for Lebanon’s economic benefit. Regarding education, he noted the sector’s current turmoil threatens future generations and quality education in Lebanon. He called for adherence to institutional constants set by law and warned against creating alternative administrations that hinder operations. He praised the Minister of Education’s efforts to balance maintaining high academic standards with the difficult conditions students face due to war and displacement. He urged officials to correct the ministry’s official positions and cooperate with the Director General for students’ welfare.

Patriarch Al-Rahi concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray, brothers and sisters: Our Heavenly Father, bless all fathers, support them in their mission, and grant eternal rest to those who have passed to Your heavenly home. Bless our families, children, and youth, and make our homes schools of love, faith, and peace. Bless Lebanon, protect it from all evil, stop wars, attacks, and divisions, and lead it to a time of stability, reassurance, and prosperity. We give You glory, Father, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.”

Abu Abdo

At the beginning of the Mass, Abbot Abu Abdo delivered a speech, stating: “Today we gather in the blessed Maronite Patriarchal complex, thanking divine providence for bringing us together around the Lord’s altar to celebrate faith, family, and service. We live three joys in one meeting: Father’s Day, the graduation of the fifth cohort of the Diploma in Listening and Family Accompaniment, and the fifteenth anniversary of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office in Bkerke.”

He continued: “On Father’s Day, we thank God for every father who carries his family’s concerns with love, honesty, and sacrifice. The father is not only the giver of life but also the planter of trust, hope, and values, embodying God’s tender fatherhood in his home and society. We also rejoice today with our dear graduates who chose to learn the art of listening and accompanying families. In a world where talk is abundant and listening scarce, listening becomes a message of love, a bridge for meeting, a balm for wounded hearts, and a way to rebuild relationships within families. We also pause with gratitude before fifteen years of the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office’s journey in Bkerke, which began humbly and, by God’s grace and the blessing and trust of His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, has produced meetings, courses, training programs, accompaniment, and service reaching many individuals, couples, families, and youth in Lebanon and the Middle East.”

He added: “On this blessed Sunday, we pray for Lebanese families and families worldwide, for fathers and mothers, and for all who serve the family and believe that the church’s and society’s future passes through the family. Thanks to our Patriarch for his constant paternal care of this mission. Thanks also to Their Excellencies Metropolitans Elias Nassar, Paul Abd al-Sater, and Hanna Alwan for their support, accompaniment, and encouragement of this journey. We thank all who have contributed and continue to contribute to this blessed mission through prayer, work, and giving. We ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth and Pope Saint John Paul II, the patron of families, to protect our families, bless our fathers and mothers, and make us all witnesses of hope and love in today’s world. Welcome to all and have a blessed Mass and graduation celebration. Amen.”

After the Mass, a graduation ceremony was held for the fifth cohort of the Diploma in Listening and Family Accompaniment in cooperation with the Family Institute at Université La Sagesse Beirut, and the first cohort of trainers on the Creighton Model Fertility Care and NaProTechnology medical consultants. Patriarch Al-Rahi and the metropolitans blessed the graduates and presented certificates.

Rita Khoury

Rita Khoury, the office coordinator, delivered a speech in which she said: “We may not be able to stop the wars around us, but by God’s grace, we can prevent a war within a family. We may not change the whole world, but we can make a difference in a person’s life and plant hope in a hurting and wounded heart. In a time of many voices, listening becomes a message. In a time of divisions, building bridges becomes a message. In a time of many wounds, accompaniment becomes a message. Peace does not begin at national borders but at the thresholds of homes. Today we gather not to celebrate certificates to be hung on walls but a message to be written in people’s lives. We celebrate the fruits of a journey that began about fifteen years ago when the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office believed that the family is the beating heart of society and that true investment is not in stone but in people.”

She continued: “Despite Lebanon’s economic, social, and security crises during these years, and despite all the challenges that have burdened families, this message has remained alive, quietly growing and producing people who carry hope to others. This message is embodied in the Marriage and Family Pastoral Office through two main pillars. The first is the Center for Education and Training (CEF), which offers specialized and diverse programs including the Diploma in Listening and Family Accompaniment with Université La Sagesse, mediation with CPM at Saint Joseph University, FertilityCare and NaProTechnology with Institut Paul 6 in Lebanon, and Theology of the Body. The second pillar is the Center for Accompaniment and Mediation (CAM), which realizes this vision by serving individuals and families through listening, accompaniment, mediation, children’s hearings, training on shared parenting, psychological and spiritual follow-up, and a department for conflict prevention and promoting a culture of dialogue and peace. Together, CEF and CAM form an integrated path combining training and service, preparation and practice, in service to the individual, family, and society.”

Addressing the graduates, she said: “What you have achieved today is more than an academic or training accomplishment. It is a moral and human commitment and a life mission. You chose to learn the art of listening because behind every crisis is a suffering person, behind every conflict is a story that needs understanding, and behind every wounded family is hope waiting for help to rise again. Society needs specialists and experts as well as people with listening hearts and sincere human presence. On this blessed occasion, we thank our Patriarch for his paternal care and constant support of this mission. We also extend sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Metropolitan Hanna Alwan for his paternal accompaniment, to His Excellency Metropolitan Elias Nassar, the Patriarchal Vicar and head of Bkerke offices, for his continuous support, and especially to His Excellency Metropolitan Paul Abd al-Sater, responsible for Université La Sagesse, for his partnership and support of this training path. We thank all professors, lecturers, supervisors, and staff who contributed to preparing and accompanying this cohort. We also thank the organizing committee, scout teams for their service, choir members who added a special spiritual and aesthetic dimension, and Télé Lumière and Noursat for their ongoing coverage and transmission of this blessed occasion. We especially thank your families who accompanied and supported you on this journey. As Pope Francis said, ‘The future of the world and the church passes through the family.’ Let us raise our thanks and prayers to the Holy Family to protect and bless our families and grant our country peace and hope. Congratulations on your graduation, happy Father’s Day, and bless our beloved Lebanon.”

The event concluded with commemorative photos and a toast to the occasion.

Receptions

After the Mass, Patriarch Al-Rahi met with Michel Hassoun, governor of Lions Clubs International District 351, which includes Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine, who came to receive his blessing and confirm the Patriarch’s national stance.

Hassoun delivered a speech saying: “On behalf of Lions Clubs International and personally, it is an honor to stand today in this great national and spiritual edifice, Bkerke, accompanied by a delegation from the district including former governors, deputy governors, members of the district council, and club presidents. We come to Bkerke as a stand of loyalty before a spiritual and national reference that has historically carried the concerns of humanity, the dignity of the homeland, the message of coexistence, Lebanon’s sovereignty, and the unity of its people.”

He continued: “The Lions’ mission fundamentally aligns with the church’s mission to serve humanity, stand by the needy, preserve dignity, spread hope where pain is heavy, and work to promote peace and international understanding. We believe service is a calling and responsibility. We believe the human being is the goal, love is the path, and giving is the true action, not words. Our district 351, comprising Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine, carries in its heart the pain of our peoples as well as hope. Our clubs work daily in health, relief, youth support, environmental protection, senior care, and assisting the most needy families. We utilize all our international relations to support our most vulnerable communities, especially in difficult circumstances. In all we do, we strive to remain faithful to our Lions motto: We Serve.”

He added: “We live in a delicate and difficult phase where our country needs words of hope and hands that unite rather than divide, build rather than destroy, plant trust instead of fear, and open paths of hope instead of despair. Therefore, we see in Bkerke a national conscience that unites and a steady voice defending Lebanon the message, Lebanon the freedom, Lebanon the dignity, and Lebanon the partnership among its people. Our district slogan this year is: Be The Heart, to emphasize that true service is complete only when it comes from the heart. The heart unites when interests divide, forgives when wounds multiply, transforms pain into a message, challenge into positive energy, and individual work into collective service that leaves an impact.”

He concluded: “Thank you for your hospitality, prayers, wisdom, and positions that remain a constant call for meeting, dialogue, love, and service for the common good. From this blessed edifice, we affirm that Lions Clubs International District 351 will remain a partner in every humanitarian work, message of love, and initiative that serves humanity and preserves dignity. We ask God, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lebanon, to protect Your Beatitude, this edifice, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and all the peoples of our region. Finally, we renew our love and appreciation for Your Beatitude and promise to remain, wherever there is need, hearts beating with service and hands extended in giving.”

He concluded with the phrase: “Be the heart… because the homeland is built only with hearts that believe and love.”

The delegation presented the Patriarch with a World Peace sticker, a gift from the International President of Lions Clubs, given to presidents and high dignitaries, along with a commemorative sculpture from District 351 specially crafted for the Patriarch by artist Bernard Ghosoub.