Card Bechara al Rahi pleads with those waiting for the dawn of peace in “the dead of night”. He points the finger at the international community for being "slow" in stopping the "death and destruction" caused by "killers without faith." Peace between Israel and Palestine is a precondition for the preservation of the Christian presence. He inaugurated the new headquarters of the Maronite diocese of France.
"In the dead of night that covers us [. . .] I make a heartfelt plea to all those who wait for the dawn,” said Maronite Patriarch Card Bechara al Rahi. The “Christian exodus from their countries of origin [. . .] will also weaken the role of moderate Muslims,” he added in a speech delivered on behalf of the persecuted Churches and peoples of the Middle East at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.