REPORT: Cardinal Rai lashes out at Lebanese political parties over long simmering disputes

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Rai met on Sunday with Greek Orthodox Patriarch John Yaziji X at his seat in Balamand, where he stressed that the sole solution for the Syrian crisis resides in the "diplomatic exit."

He also slammed the foreign intervention in Syria including military strike.

Patriarch Rai urged the immediate release of the two Greek Orthodox bishops abducted in Syria.

The two Syrian bishops kidnapped by gunmen on Monday April 22nd are still missing, church sources in Damascus and Aleppo said, contradicting a report that the men had been freed.    

Pope Francis urged the release of the two Aleppian bishops, 2 days after their disappearance.

They have been identified as Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Alexandria Boulos Yaziji, and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo Yuhanna Ibrahim. 

Earlier, Patriarch Rai celebrated a mass at the patriarchal summer residence in Diman whereby he recalled Tripoli's twin blasts and the explosion that rocked the Beirut Southern Suburb's region of Roueis, lashing out at the Lebanese political parties which remain divided.           

"The Lebanese political parties have not yet realized they are responsible for the explosions that come as a result of their long simmering conflicts and their disruption of the work of constitutional institutions," Cardinal Rai said.             

Cardinal Rai added that "the Lebanese parties did not launch any concrete initiative to form a new government," pointing out that they did not agree to hold dialogue.
      
On Friday the 23rd of August, two explosions rocked the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli near the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques, leaving 45 killed and almost 500 others injured.               
In mid-August, a powerful car bomb tore through the Beirut Southern Suburbs' region of Roueis, a stronghold of Hezbollah, claiming the lives of 27 civilians and leaving more than 289 wounded, some of whom are still receiving treatment.


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