The Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi officiated at Sunday mass in Bkerki, rejecting rumors that he may fill the vacancy in the White House.

During the sermon, Al-Rahi said that “the presidential vacancy is deliberately a conspiracy against what represents the presidency in the republic, rather it is a betrayal of Lebanon.”

In this context, the patriarch called on all parties to “stop their adventures and bargaining”.

Al-Rahi concluded: “In parallel with the issue of the election of the President of the Republic, we see the daily living situation in the country deteriorating frighteningly. Inflation has reached about 200%, which disrupts purchasing power no matter how much the wage rate is adjusted, and the unemployment rate exceeded 40% of the labor force this year.”