With the media dinner, as called for by the Episcopal Media Committee, barely wrapping, volleys of social-network comments and critiques poured in like cascades of arrows upon the Maronite Patriarch's head.

The aggressive and insulting comments were mobilized in full force by FPM-backing journalists and commentators, with some directing offensive language to the Maronite figurehead.

"Al-Rahi is not the Head of the Maronite Church, he is the head of the Maronite ordeal," a comment boldly trumpeted.

Such comments can only mirror an unmatched degeneration of the Bkerki-Rabieh relations since the election of al-Rahi as patriarch, in spite of the latest rounds of mediations, undertaken by Bishop Samir Mathloum, which had yielded Aoun's visit to Bkerki.

Mostly focusing on the presidential elections and the Patriarch's call for ISIS to dialogue, critiques gave leeway to their imagination with scenarios pertaining to an ISIS delegation visiting Bkerki.

During the dinner, the Patriarch had called on the lawmakers and Speaker of the House Nabih Berri to "adhere to the constitution that obligates the parliament to elect a president immediately, hence holding daily sessions as an electoral committee only, as per the overly clear 73, 74, 75 constitutional articles."

"It is unfortunate to see the two-thirds quorum, that is not stipulated by the constitution but rather represents the result of a Lebanese accord, to deviating from its target. They had agreed on holding elections based on the half+1 formula if the two-thirds quorum is met, so as to give the Presidency some sort of significance and alleviate voter-tensions," Al-Rahi added.

"The quorum hence has become an obstruction means to indefinitely deprive the state from a president. However, we do know that this will only paralyze the country, chain its institutions and smash the people's hopes, […], wondering about the quorum's worth, and whether it serves or holds the presidency hostage," the Patriarch concluded.