Rai to LBCI: My visit to Syria is ecclesiastical; there were no time to meet with political officials

 
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai said that the Church is in solidarity with all suffering and affected people regardless of their religions, sects, or political affiliations.          

In this context, Patriarch Rai said that the church has always been against war and added that it always calls for dialogue and reconciliation since “nothing is more precious than the human life”.                      

Rai told LBCI that his visit aimed at checking on Christians in general and Maronites specifically since there are 3 dioceses in Syria in which he is responsible of and added that there are around 60 thousand Maronite Christians in Syria so building bridges with the Syrian church is a must.
                                  
“I wanted to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch Youhanna X Yazigi to emphasize on the unity and solidarity among the Maronite and Orthodox sects,” Rai said.             

This as, Rai said that his visit is not only to tighten the relation with Christians, but also to urge all Syrian people that the war must end, and officials must communicate in order to reach solutions through political, diplomatic, and peaceful means.             

Regarding the presence of an Episcopal crowd of bishops and patriarchs in the inauguration of Patriarch Youhanna X, Rai said that the basic aim of the church is to serve all citizens and added that he is against all forms of discrimination whether sectarian, political or religious.                 

As for the fact that he did not visit any political officials, Rai told LBCI that his visit is at the first case ecclesiastical and spiritual and said that “there were no time to meet with any officials, but we carry the suffering people in our hearts and prayers”.                

Rai pointed out that a Lebanese official informed him that the number of displaced Syrians in Lebanon has reached 4 Million and stressed that “everyone will keep on speaking the language of the Bible”.                

Patriarch Rai asked the Lebanese people who previously lived war to call for peace and voice to everyone that it is a means of destruction and the proof is that the Lebanese are still living under the rubble of the war in Lebanon.