Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi affirmed that "what affects the South affects the whole of Lebanon, and it is not permissible for the death of citizens to become ordinary news," pointing out in his Sunday mass sermon that "the people of Nabatieh are our relatives and their blood is no less valuable than that of any Lebanese, and protecting the South is not achieved through slogans." He called for "establishing a coordination mechanism to ensure the movement of the people of the border villages and the delivery of aid to them to guarantee their remaining on their land." He indicated that "negotiations must proceed on a specific path to preserve sovereignty, prevent the recurrence of escalation, and must be a means to reach a clear solution that puts an end to the state of instability." He pointed out that "confining arms to the state's hands is not a matter of dominance, but rather the state has the right to be responsible for its citizens because sovereignty is not preserved by multiple authorities."