NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, considered that the words of His Excellency the President are worthy of being a reference for every citizen and every state official, because they offer the best, clearest, and most compassionate interpretation of two articles of the Constitution, and stand as an invitation to cleanse our memory of the sediments of a painful and hurtful past.

He said: "A society cannot be rebuilt unless each of its individuals, families, and various groups seek to break out of the conflictual relationships that marked the era of violence and to extinguish every desire for revenge," adding, "It is time for us to begin together to purify our memory through honest and frank dialogue, work towards rapprochement, and enhance balanced participation in governance and administration, with the aim of saving Lebanon and rebuilding it as the homeland of the message."

Patriarch Al-Rahi's words came as he presided over Sunday Mass at Our Lady's Church in Bkirki this morning.

Al-Rahi explained that achieving this "requires working together in essential matters with unity, in incidental matters with freedom, in all matters with love (Saint Augustine)."

He said, "Purifying memory is both courageous and selfless. But it is necessary for everyone because it is the only gateway to national unity and psychological, security, and social stability."

==========R.Sh.