In this regard, Patriarch Rai stated that he will exert his utmost efforts to resolve the said issue, pointing out that at least three thousand Lebanese citizens expressed their willingness to return to their homeland.
On Wednesday, May 28, Rai led prayers and a religious procession in what remains of Kufr Birim, a Maronite village just south of the Lebanese border. During the same day, Rai celebrated Mass on the shores of the Sea of Galilee for former Lebanese militiamen.
The militiamen and their families fled to Israel, many with just the clothes on their backs, after Israeli troops hastily withdrew from Lebanon in May 2000, leaving their former allies exposed to possible retribution. The number of Maronites is estimated at about 850,000 in Lebanon, compared to about 11,000 in Israel.
Lebanon bans its citizens from visiting Israel, but makes an exemption for Maronite clergy who need to tend to their flock.
Rai's Holy Land pilgrimage began on Sunday in Bethlehem, followed by stops in Jerusalem and Israel's coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. In Bethlehem and Jerusalem, he joined prayers led by Pope Francis.
Cardinal Bechara Rai is the first Lebanese religious leader to visit Israel despite the formal state of war between the two countries, stressing that he is on a spiritual journey.
He rejected claims by critics back home that his visit implies a normalization of ties between Israel and Lebanon.
The two countries remain formally at war and Israel has invaded Lebanon several times since the 1970s. A 2006 war left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead. For the full report, please click on the VIDEO above