Aoun welcomes beatification decree for Patriarch Elias Hoayek, founder of Greater Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the signing by Pope Leo XIV of the decree declaring Venerable Patriarch Elias Hoayek, founder of Greater Lebanon, blessed.

President Aoun thanked the Holy Father, on behalf of Lebanon’s government and people, for his continued support and attention toward Lebanon, particularly amid the delicate circumstances and major challenges the country is facing.

Aoun said the announcement, made on the centenary of Lebanon’s Constitution, carries symbolic significance, stressing that the divine providence which guided the new blessed figure continues to safeguard Greater Lebanon as he envisioned and worked tirelessly to achieve it: a homeland of coexistence among different sects within its “historical and civilizational” borders.

The president expressed hope that Lebanese people of all affiliations would draw inspiration from the spirit and dedication that guided the new blessed figure, so that Lebanon remains a focal point for the Holy See and the world and overcomes the challenges surrounding it.