Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi on Sunday called for a renewed sense of national unity, urging Lebanese leaders to place the country’s interests above all else and to uphold human dignity amid an escalating political and economic crisis.

“Lebanon is living through a critical period,” Al-Rahi said during his sermon in Bkirki. “The economy is struggling, institutions are paralyzed, and the people are suffering. Meanwhile, our expatriates, who carry Lebanon’s image abroad, are demanding their legitimate right to participate in decision-making.”

Al-Rahi highlighted the limitations of the current electoral law, which allocates just six parliamentary seats to Lebanese living abroad.

“Many political forces today are calling for full voting rights for expatriates, allowing them to elect all 128 members of parliament rather than being restricted to six,” he said.

“The Lebanese abroad are not second-class citizens,” he added. “They are this land's children who left under duress but remain emotionally, economically, and socially connected. Expatriates have contributed to supporting Lebanon during its most difficult times through remittances and development projects. Should their constitutional rights be reduced as a reward for that?”

Al-Rahi criticized delays in addressing the electoral law in parliament, warning that postponement undermines the principles of equality and citizenship enshrined in Lebanon’s constitution.

“Delaying the law’s inclusion on the parliamentary agenda is a step back from the principles of equality and citizenship guaranteed by the constitution," he said. “The country does not thrive through marginalization, but through the participation of all its citizens, both at home and abroad."