Maronite Bishops held their monthly meeting in Bkirki, under the chairmanship of Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bashar Boutros Rahi.

Conferees focused on the decision of the Constitutional Council over the appeal to the tax law, and the resulting political and media confusion, and saw in the decision of the Council an advanced step in the work of institutions, as mentioned in their statement issued upon the end of the meeting.

Tackling the salary scale issue and its repercussions on school fees, bishops demanded that the State pay the salary and wage increases' difference, in order to avoid raising premiums and burdening parents.

Conferees also condemned the reemergence of crimes, (...) regretting the fact that a significant portion of these crimes are committed at the hands of people who were forced to leave their homes as victims of ongoing violence and seek shelter in Lebanon.
Bishops thus called on the security authorities to show no tolerance in similar crimes, so as to prevent the emergence of violence.

Accordingly, they appealed to the national and international political authorities to make every effort to speed up the return of Syrian refugees to their country.

"This is a natural right for them, and it opens the door for them to contribute to the rebuilding of their homeland and thus easing the burden weighing on Lebanon and the Lebanese. The field developments in Syria have resulted in many safe areas that can receive returnees and provide suitable conditions for them, pending peace to prevail in their homeland," the statement read

Source: NNA