Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rai accused politicians of impoverishing, starving and humiliating the Lebanese people, while confiscating their money.
Speaking at a Sunday Mass in Bkirki, Rai said he would support the government on condition of listening to the people and introducing the necessary reforms.
Rai called on politicians to stop sending to demonstrations "saboteurs" who were attacking businesses and shops, distorting the face of the capital, and tarnish the national revolution.
He urged the government to “confront these saboteurs and limit their evils in order to prevent the security situation from slipping toward sedition.”
Rai stressed that the Maronite Church would never depart from two complementary constants at the national level: the first, preserving legitimacy, and the second, embracing the people.
"We will not allow anyone to eliminate the prestigious state of Lebanon, which celebrates the centenary of its foundation, but rather we will work with people of goodwill to renew Lebanon's face with its identity and mission towards the second centenary,” he said.
Last week, hundreds of Lebanese protesters took to the streets to voice outrage over the government’s handling of a deep economic crisis, with security forces firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse rock-throwing demonstrators.
However, the protest turned violent as supporters of Hezbollah clashed with some demonstrators who were demanding that the Iran-backed group disarm.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab took office in January with the support of Hezbollah and its allies after the previous government was toppled by the protests that erupted last October.
Lebanon’s economic woes have reached new depths in recent months. The pound currency has lost more than half of its value on the parallel market, prices have soared, and companies dealing with the double blow of the coronavirus have axed jobs.
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