Lebanon - Jbeil - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over a festive Mass at the “Priest's Home” in Maad, at the invitation of the "Risalat Salam" Association marking the “International Day for People with Special Needs.”

In his sermon on the occasion, the Patriarch spoke about the launch of the association and its importance in the Lebanese society, saluting its founder, Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar, and its members for their valuable humanitarian work.

He reminded that "15 percent of the world's population includes people with special needs, and 180 countries have signed the Bill of Rights for these needs,” deeming this “a good sign of human progress."

“All people are called upon to live in mercy, especially Christians who believe in Christ. They have to be more and more merciful and loving, for this is our identity. The world cannot live without mercy, neither in the family, nor in the state, nor in the homeland, because the bond between people is called mercy, and our world today needs mercy more than ever before," al-Rahi underlined.

The Patriarch called for raising prayers to the Lord Almighty for the sake of our state and country, “so that He may get us out of this crisis we are living in today, starting with the election of a president of the republic, all the way to the constitutional institutions, so that Lebanon takes responsibility for itself, and officials and institutions alike...in order to safeguard our people against disability in wake of the prevailing disabilities of poverty, deprivation and migration.”

Al-Rahi praised the association's efforts in helping people with special needs, calling on those capable to provide it with the necessary support to continue its mission.