Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has come out swinging
at corruption, which is becoming all-pervasive in government and public life.
The patriarch,
who has just been made a cardinal and who will formally receive his biretta at
the next consistory on 24 November, did not mince words when he slammed those
who seek power for personal gains.
This morning, Mgr
al-Rahi left no doubts as to where he stood, as he spoke at the start of a
seminar in Bkerke, the Lebanese town that is the home to the Patriarchate of
Antioch of the Maronites.
The 14 March alliance,
which is close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, has called for the resignation
of the Hizbollah-dominated 8 March coalition government, after a car
bomb killed Internal Security Forces intelligence chief Wissam Hassan
on 19 October.
Following the attack, the alliance decided to boycott all
government activities, including parliamentary sessions.
"The Church
condemns all political" action "that is solely limited to achieving personal
gains at the expense of the public interest and that aims at obstructing state
institutions ... in search for power," the patriarch said in his statement.
Political action
is a "moral duty" that is "incompatible with corruption, despotism and
dependence on money or abroad."
Yesterday,
the prelate met Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, praising the latter's call
for serious dialogue among the parties for the greater good of the country.
For the
patriarch, only dialogue can provide an opportunity for a "transition to a
better political and economic period".