Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi emphasized that the presidency of the republic was the cornerstone of Lebanon's existence and that the president was responsible for drawing the state's internal as well as external frontiers.

“It is our ecclesiastical duty to appeal to officials' consciences and implore them to form a government and elect a president of the republic within the deadlines set forth by the constitution,” al-Rahi said from Diman during his weekly sermon . 

“The president's moral character and resistance to temptation must be the foundation of his ability to meet problems. He will be renowned for his public relations expertise and independent of esoteric terms and conditions,” he concluded.