Rai: Protecting Lebanon Begins with State Control of Arms... The South Is Not a Negotiating Chip

The patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bchara Peter Rai, celebrated the divine liturgy at Our Lady of Ailij, marking the annual commemoration of the martyrs of the Lebanese resistance, this year bearing the slogan "Blessed are the peacemakers." The occasion revived memories of those who gave their lives defending their beliefs in freedom, dignity, and national identity.

The patriarch departed from Bkerki accompanied by the general vicar, Bishop Elias Nasser, the general secretary of the Maronite Patriarchate, Father Fadi Tabet, and the private secretary, Father Camillo Mkhail. Upon arriving in Ailij, he was welcomed by a number of religious, political, and social figures, along with a large gathering of faithful.

His Eminence was assisted during the liturgy by the general vicar, Bishop Elias Nasser, the Maronite bishop of Jbeil, Bishop Michel Aoun, the Maronite bishop of Batroun, Bishop Minir Khoury, the abbot of the Monastery of Our Lady of Mifouq, Father Najee Abi Sulum, alongside numerous priests and monks.

A large number of religious, political, and social personalities participated in the celebration, including Member of Parliament Ghiath Yezbek, former MP Samer Saada, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Amin, a host of politicians and state officials, as well as a vast crowd of believers.

Aoun: The Patriarch’s Presence in Ailij Plants Hope and Peace

In the opening of the liturgy, Bishop Michel Aoun delivered a welcoming speech, greeting His Eminence, recalling his previous service as bishop of Jbeil, and affirming that the patriarch’s annual visit to Ailij plants hope and strengthens the people of the region in their attachment to their land and to Lebanon, the land of the mission. He reflected on the event’s slogan, "Blessed are the peacemakers," drawing inspiration from Pope John Paul II’s call to the Lebanese to live in peace, and affirmed that while peace is a gift from God, it remains a project requiring reconciliation with God and respect for human dignity, both individually and collectively. He addressed the patriarch, affirming that he proclaims peace and works for it, and that his presence in the archdiocese carries a message of peace and hope to Lebanon and its people.

Rai: Whoever Wants to Be Great Must Be a Servant

After the reading of the Holy Gospel, Patriarch Rai delivered a homily beginning with Christ’s words: "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45), making service the key to understanding the meaning of martyrdom, authority, and public responsibility.

He reflected on the scene where James and John asked Jesus to grant one of them to sit at his right and the other at his left in glory. He noted that Christ redirected his disciples from the logic of position to the logic of mission, from seeking precedence to the meaning of service, and from desire for power to readiness to sacrifice oneself.

Patriarch Rai stressed that Christ does not abolish leadership but purifies it from domination; nor does He abolish responsibility, but gives it its true meaning. In the Gospel logic, the great one is not the one who holds greater power, but the one who can serve more; the responsible person is not measured by their position, but by what they offer to the people entrusted to them.

He linked this meaning to the cross, considering it not merely a symbol raised by the Church, but the ultimate expression of Christ’s love, who gave Himself completely. From this self-giving, he read the meaning of martyrdom, which Ailij renews in this occasion.

"They gave of themselves, and history wrote their names"

From the Gospel, the patriarch turned to the memory of the martyrs of the Lebanese resistance, emphasizing that remembering them does not mean stopping at their deaths, but rather confronting the meaning they gave to their lives when they made them an offering for a cause greater than themselves.

He said: "They did not seek a place in history for themselves; they gave of themselves, and history wrote their names." He considered that they did not measure the country by what it could give them, but by how much they were ready to give it.

He stressed that honoring the martyrs is not merely raising their images or reviving their names and past events, but working to build the Lebanon for which they sacrificed their lives: a Lebanon of freedom, dignity, sovereignty, and a state capable of protecting its land and its people.

He also remembered the families of the martyrs and the "living martyrs" who still carry war wounds in their bodies, asserting that memory should not turn into permanent sorrow or fuel for new conflict, but into a trust and responsibility toward the future.

"Blessed Are the Peacemakers": Peace Is Not Surrender

The patriarch reflected on the event’s slogan, "Blessed are the peacemakers," offering a reading of peace rooted in the Gospel and directly addressing the reality of Lebanon.

He affirmed that peace does not mean forgetting sacrifices, denying memory, or surrendering rights. It does not mean surrendering to the status quo, but requires courage, will, justice, and steadfastness in truth, so that peace becomes the peace of the strong in truth, not the peace of those unable to defend it.

He emphasized that Christian peace is not built on erasing truth for a superficial reconciliation, but on making truth the path to justice and reconciliation. Thus, he affirmed that Lebanon needs a peace that safeguards sovereignty, protects the human being and the land, and restores the state’s role and universal reference point.

Authority as Service, Not Privilege

Based on Christ’s words, "He did not come to be served but to serve," the patriarch brought the concept of service to the heart of national life, stating that this Gospel principle also serves as a standard for public responsibility.

According to the substance of his homily, office loses its meaning when it becomes personal privilege, power becomes tyranny when separated from service, and politics loses its purpose when it turns into struggle over positions and shares instead of serving the people.

Thus, he called for restoring the concept of the state as service: service to citizens in administration, justice in the judiciary, truth and national interest in politics, protection of public funds in the economy, and placing Lebanon above every personal loyalty or interest.

Protecting Lebanon begins with placing all arms under state control

In one of the most significant national statements in his homily, Patriarch Rai affirmed that protecting Lebanon begins with placing all weapons under state control, and is completed by a single state, a strong army, full sovereignty, and a single national decision-making process.

He placed the issue of arms at the core of the concept of the state, arguing that decisions on war and peace must rest with legitimate institutions, and that a single nation cannot long survive with parallel decisions or multiple references in sovereign matters.

He linked legitimacy with responsibility, asserting that the state which bears the responsibility for protecting Lebanese citizens and their land must be the one making decisions, and it is impossible to demand responsibility if its sovereign authority is fragmented or diminished.

Therefore, he called for a state that regains its full presence, authority, and the trust of its people, whose army is responsible for protecting the land and borders, whose legitimate institutions are the reference in critical decisions, and where all Lebanese feel they are under one law and one protection.

The South Is Not a Negotiating Chip

The patriarch accorded the south a central place in his statement, affirming that "the south is not a negotiating chip," but Lebanese land, and its people are citizens entitled to security, life, stability, and the right to return to their villages and lands.

He stressed that protecting the south and its people is a national responsibility, and what affects the south affects Lebanon as a whole. He called for halting attacks, preserving land and rights, and restoring stability firmly, enabling residents to live in their villages in safety and dignity.

Regarding the political and diplomatic track, the patriarch endorsed any serious negotiation that protects Lebanon, prevents war, achieves withdrawal, and safeguards rights, sovereignty, security, and stability—ensuring diplomacy serves as a means to protect Lebanon and secure its rights, not as a surrender of them.

At the same time, he affirmed that Lebanon does not flee its surroundings nor abandon just causes, but fulfills its mission through dialogue and defense of peoples’ rights, without becoming itself a battlefield for conflicts that transcend it.

Statesmen Place the Country Above Positions

The patriarch expanded the scope of responsibility to encompass the entire national life, calling for statesmen in politics who place the country above their positions, for society to reject incitement, and for media to speak responsibly, turning disagreement into cooperation rather than enmity.

He also called for raising the new generations beyond the grudges of the past, because honoring the martyrs is not about producing new wars, but about building a state that makes their sacrifices the foundation of a safer and more peaceful future.

Justice for Contractual Teachers

Patriarch Rai addressed the issue of contractual teachers at the Lebanese University, noting that accumulated practices over years have disrupted national balance, and urging concerned parties to urgently reconsider the file and implement a solution that ensures fairness for deserving teachers, preserves academic standards, and respects national partnership and balance.

From Ailij: Honoring Martyrs Means Building the State

Thus, the patriarch built his homily around a single thread—from the Gospel to the state: service leads to sacrifice, sacrifice gives meaning to martyrdom, martyrdom becomes a national trust, and this trust demands building the state and creating peace.

Christ’s words, "He did not come to be served but to serve," became the measure of authority and responsibility, while the memory of the martyrs transformed from a revival of the past into a question about the Lebanon that must be built after all these sacrifices.

From Ailij, the patriarch outlined the contours of this Lebanon: a single, capable, and just state, lawful arms under its authority, an army protecting its land, decisions on war and peace in the hands of its institutions, a secure south where its sons return to their villages, and peace that does not erase rights or memory, but transforms them into the foundation of reconciliation and stability.

At the end of the liturgy, a speech was delivered by Mr. Tedi Abou Rijal, president of the Ailij Ladies’ Association, who emphasized that remembering the martyrs must transform into a responsibility toward building the state, calling for a single state, a single army, and a single decision on war and peace, and urging a transition from a memory of war and division to a culture of peace and national partnership.