With Lebanon on verge of collapse, thousands rally to support cardinal
Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, addresses thousands of Lebanese at Bkerke, north of Beirut, Feb. 27, 2021, as Lebanon teeters on the verge of collapse. "Do not tolerate the failure in forming a government and implementing reforms," he told them. (CNS photo/Mychel Akl, courtesy Maronite Patriarchate)
By Doreen Abi Raad
• Catholic News Service • Posted March 1, 2021
BEIRUT (CNS) — Thousands of Lebanese rallied Feb. 27 to show their support for the positions of Cardinal Bechara Rai as the country teeters on the verge of collapse from multiple crises.
The rally was at Bkerke, the seat of the Maronite Catholic Church, north of Beirut. Speaking from a window of the patriarchate, Cardinal Rai, Maronite patriarch, told the crowd: “You have come from all over Lebanon, of all ages, despite the dangers of the coronavirus, to support two proposals, that of neutrality and that of an international conference for Lebanon under the auspices of the U.N. You have come to ask for the salvation of Lebanon.