Rai continues visit to France, holds several meetings

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai continued on Thursday his tour in France, where he met with a delegation from the Lebanese community in France at the Lebanese House in Paris.              

Earlier, Rai had met with the Papal Ambassador to France, and received as well a phone call from the Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek Chaar.          

Similarly, Lebanon's Ambassador to UNESCO, Khalil Karam, hosted a meeting in honor of the Patriarch, an event which reportedly featured high on Lebanon's relation with the UNESCO.                

Cardinal Rai left Beirut on Monday and headed for Paris, where he met with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius upon his arrival.                        

In this context, Cardinal Rai discussed with Fabius the latest developments in Lebanon along with some regional affairs highlighting the key role that Lebanon played in maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East.                         

Cardinal Rai also met on Monday with the Former Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares who highly praised the stance of Rai who called for adopting a fair electoral law that ensures just representation.                           

On Tuesday, Cardinal Rai crowned his visit by meeting with the French President Francois Hollande at the Elysée Palace.                             

Following his Parisian trip, Rai is set to kick off a pastoral tour in Latin America, which will last until the end of May and which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela.