Patriarch al-Rai: I Cannot Turn My Back on My Arab Environment

Lebanon Maronite Patriarch, Bechara al-Rai noted that he asked for UN's help to declare Lebanon a "neutral country". On this level, he clarified that he meant "positive neutrality" through independency from any country, regional or international sphere.

Concluding his visit to the US, al-Rai said that "This also means commitment to the Arab and human causes", further affirming, "I cannot turn my back on my Arab environment".

In a statement delivered to the accompanying media delegation on his last day of visit in the US, Patriarch al-Rai believed that it's not important that Ban Ki-moon is convinced of the harm weapons cause, but it's important to convince the countries that benefit from selling weapons and supplies.

Patriarch al-Rai affirmed that this helps in developing fundamentalist movements, whether Christian, Islamic, or Jewish. He stated that those movements do not come from vain; however they are born through the support of funding and arming countries.

Furthermore, al-Rai described Islam in the region as "moderate, which we hope would reach power". Also, he referred to his upcoming 3-day visit to Iraq, starting first of November, and said it would be on the anniversary of Our Lady of Deliverance Church massacre. Patriarch al-Rai indicated he will be meeting spiritual and official leaders to discuss the fate of Iraqi Christians.

Patriarch Bechara al-Rai wrapped up his visit to the US with a meeting held at the Diocese of the Roman Orthodox Church in New Jersey, at an invitation from the Metropolitan of the Roman Orthodox Church in the US and Canada Philip Saliba.

Present in the meeting were representatives of Muslim communities, in addition to the Lebanese and Syrian Ambassadors in Washington, Antoine Shdeed and Bashar al-Jaafari.

Source: News Agencies, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org team