BEIRUT: The Maronite patriarch said Friday that he rejected references to Christians in Lebanon as “minorities.” “Minorities do not exist. We are cells in the Lebanese body from which this [Lebanese social] fabric is formed,” Patriarch Beshara Rai said.

He noted that a synod convened at the Vatican last year to study the situation of Christians in the Levant “reminds us of our nationality and role and how we should live with our brothers in the Arab nations.” “Once we recognize the meaning of our identity and go back to our roots, we will find a role for our message,” Rai added.