Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi urged politicians to liberate the State's institutions from political interference, in order to ensure a better life for Lebanese citizens.

"I call for the establishment of the State with its institutions and departments based on efficiency and ethics, away from any political interference and discrimination," Rahi said during Sunday's Mass service at "Our Lady of the Hill" Church in Mount Lebanon's Deir al-Qamar.

President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, and a number of political and security figures attended the Mass service.

In his sermon, Patriarch Rahi highlighted the need for "boosting education in public and private schools, protecting public funds by stopping waste expenditure, theft and corruption, and establishing a free, honest and responsible justice system."

He also urged officials to speed-up the process of implementing administrative, regional and sectoral decentralization

Source: NNA