Kataeb lawmaker Selim Sayegh on Friday said that ecclesiastical authority had its own law and was recognized by the Lebanese authority, stressing that it should not be violated nor intimidated.

“The church in Lebanon is the church of the people, not the church of the system, and there is a big difference between the people and populism. The scene of Diman last Sunday was incomplete, so the embrace of Bkerke should not only be by some political forces that have wide representation, but it should be by everyone as there is great respect for the patriarch," Sayegh said in an interview with OTV.

“The Maronite church should not be intimidated in Lebanon. We, as the Kataeb party, refuse any settlement related to Maronite Archbishop Moussa El-Hajj case. We seek the reconsideration of the mission entrusted to the Church in Lebanon, as it has always been the cornerstone of the establishment of Lebanon, and the entire Lebanese leadership is still rallying around it," he added.

"The Maronite Church was before the constitution, and none of its symbols should be insulted,” Sayegh said, citing the saying of Patriarch Sfeir: “ If we were to choose between unity and freedom, we choose freedom.”

The Kataeb lawmaker said that the priority of human rights was above constitutions and laws. 

“For example, the Red Cross talks with terrorists in conflicts and the duty to help the sick and the wounded is the basis of the law of war and humanitarian law, and the Lebanese law recognizes that there is no authority to investigate any cleric without the approval of its religious authority,” he noted.

He pointed out that Kataeb party submitted a law proposal which stipulates that the military court will try Lebanese army only.

“We called for the  disqualification of Judge Fadi Akiki, given the great doubts about his fragmented interpretations of the law. We do not have the right to say if he is a traitor or not, but what we know is that he has discretion that exposes the general situation to sedition. If there was any suspicion, it was necessary to contact the bishop’s authority, as he possesses a Vatican passport and his authority in Bkerke and the Vatican,” he added.

“We called on the Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, to open the doors of Bkerke to all people and to talk with them,” he said.

“Concerning the presidential election, we, as the Kataeb party, seek a President whose top priority is Lebanon’s sovereignty and is willing to make reforms. We will not nominate the Army Commander, but rather a civilian,” he affirmed.

“Lawmaker Samy Gemayel top priority is not authority,” Sayegh said concerning Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel's candidacy for President.