Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Boutros Rahi, considered that the Church cannot afford to give heed to various thoughts and opinions, but must however, touch people's consciences.
His words came as he presided over Sunday Mass at Foligno Cathedral in Italy, where the relics of Saint Maroun are preserved.
"It is the Church that always addresses the consciences and minds of people...It cannot compromise on anything, otherwise it would be abandoning its role and mission. We thank the Lord who created the Church so that it may remain the permanent voice of the conscience, the voice of God," the Patriarch said.
"Saint Maroun, whose remains we honor here today, teaches us many things we desperately need to live by, namely his profound union with God, with prayer, meditation, austerity, and death. As much as he was united with God, he became united with all people, and this is the main secret. Any healthy relationship that we can live on the horizontal level, we can only live if our vertical living is intact with God. Peace with God, peace with all of humanity," Rahi corroborated.
"With you, we pray for the intention of all officials in Lebanon to return to God, to prayer and repentance so that they can reunite with each other," the Patriarch concluded.
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