The Maronite bishops' meeting in Bkirki, presided over by Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. (Credit:NNA)
On Wednesday, the Maronite bishops expressed their "regret" at the postponement of key national events such as the presidential, municipal and mukhtar elections, "under various pretexts." They also regretted Tuesday's decision by caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi to "modify the content of the official baccalaureate exam papers," which contributes "to a deterioration in the level of general education in Lebanon," reported the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
At the end of their monthly meeting in Bkirki, chaired by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai and attended by the heads of the various Maronite orders, the bishops issued a statement calling on members of parliament "to assume their responsibilities to speed up the election of a head of state and to work to protect democracy and implement the Constitution." The country has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term expired on Oct. 31, 2022.
On the educational front, they reiterated "the right of students, despite exceptional circumstances, to serious and credible official examinations" that assess all subjects and crown the efforts of all components of the educational family, thus testifying to the quality of education in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, the caretaker education minister announced the cancellation of the official brevet exam. He also reduced the number of baccalaureate exams by authorizing the choice of optional subjects from a group of subjects. All this against a backdrop of politicization of the issue and pressure from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to relieve pressure on students in southern Lebanon, disadvantaged by the war between Israel and Hezbollah that has been taking place since Oct. 8, 2023.
The Maronite bishops welcomed the efforts of brotherly and friendly countries to ensure Lebanon's "neutrality" in the face of the war in Gaza and the ensuing war in the south, which destroyed many villages on the Lebanese-Israeli border. In this context, they deplored "the loss of human life, the destruction and the large number of displaced persons."
The Maronite bishops also denounced the desire of certain international bodies to keep Syrian refugees in Lebanon. "They want to keep Syrian refugees on Lebanese soil, ignoring the dangers that this presence represents for Lebanon, as it threatens its entity and its state, and sows chaos on the security front," the statement said.
Lebanon and the international community are in deep disagreement on the issue of Syrian refugees. Lebanese authorities working to repatriate "displaced Syrians" back home, claiming that many areas in Syria are now safe. However, the international community is warning that forcible return would endanger the lives of Syrian refugees.
The Maronite bishops also paid tribute to Lebanon's workers on May 1, Labor Day.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.