REPORT: Rai withdraws from TV interview: I am a Lebanese citizen and...

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Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai said Friday that he took the authorization of President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Tammam Salam to visit the Holy Land, stressing that he will always abide by the Lebanese Law.

Speaking in an interview with France 24 TV upon his arrival to Jordan’s Amman, Rai noted that he holds a spiritual and ecclesiastical immunity, stressing that he will not meet with any civil or political figure in Jerusalem.

“I am the Patriarch today, and this is my position with the Holy Synod in this place, at this time and under these circumstances,” he added.

In this regard, Rai pointed out that the number of those who welcomed his visit to Jerusalem is far greater than those who are opposing.

During the interview, Rai withdrew after he stressed his total respect to his country’s sovereignty.

Patriarch Rai had left Beirut on Friday morning aboard a private plane heading to the Holy Land via Jordan on a religious visit that has angered Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel.

The state-run National News Agency reported that Rai was accompanied by Bishop Boulos Sayyah and Bkerke spokesman Walid Ghayyad.

Rai's visit is the first by a Lebanese religious official to the Holy Land since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and is intended to welcome Pope Francis' visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories that kicks off Saturday.

Rai has come under intense fire from media outlets that support Hezbollah, which has described the visit as a “historic sin.”

However, Rai insisted that his visit is not political but only religious.Lebanon which is technically at war with Israel, prohibits all contact with the Jewish state, and bans citizens from having business dealings with Israelis. Any Lebanese national who travels to the Jewish state can face charges of treason.

One exception is Lebanon's Maronite clergy, who are allowed to travel to the Holy Land to minister to the faithful there.

The last top Maronite religious figure to visit Jerusalem was Patriarch Boulos Moochy. He traveled to Jerusalem in 1964 to welcome the pope in the eastern part of the city, ruled then by Jordan.

For more details, watch the full report in the video above