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Rai makes historic visit to Damascus

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09-02-2013 | 11:25

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Rai makes historic visit to Damascus

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Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai is heading a mass at St. Antonius Church in Bab Touma, Damascus and will be attending the inauguration of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi on Sunday. Rai had arrived in Damascus on Saturday afternoon amid tight security measures.

Following the mass, Rai is due to meet with bishops and then attend a dinner banquet held in his honor.

In a related context, the head of the Maronite Court in Damascus Monseigneur Michel Freifer told LBCI that there is no expected meeting with President Bashar Assad “who understands that Rai came to Syria as a man of peace even if he had no plan to visit the Presidential Palace.” He considered that Rai’s visit is historic, hoping that it will constitute a blessing to all believers.

This as Rai received a phone call from President Michel Sleiman who congratulated him on the occasion of St. Maroun's day.

However, Rai stressed that his visit to Syria comes within an ecclesiastical and spiritual framework represented by the celebration of St. Maroun's day on Saturday evening at the Maronites' Cathedral and the participation in the inauguration of the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch on Sunday.

For the full LBCI report, watch the Video above

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