Asiri: Demeaning Rai does not reflect the opinion of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri stressed on Friday that the caricature demeaning Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Rai published by the Saudi newspaper Al Watan, does not reflect in any way the opinion of the Kingdom of Saudi Araiba.

Asiri said that Saudi Arabia respects His Eminence and all Religious figures, holding the person who published the caricature solely accountable for insulting the Patriarch.

Asiri then added that his country respects the Christians and wishes to maintain the best relations with them. He also affirmed that the positions of Lebanese political and religious officials is an internal matter.

The Saudi newspaper published on Tuesday a caricature depicting Cardinal Rai in a derogatory manner, replacing his miter with a rocket and highlighting the common letters between the patriarch and the Syrian president's names in Arabic, following his visit to Syria over the weekend.

Jihad Awrati's caricature sparked outrage on social media platforms for what viewers saw as a disrespectful depiction of the Maronite head of church.

Rai's visit to Syria, through which he aimed at taking part in the inauguration celebration of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch Youhanna al-Yaziji, created a heated debate locally.