khazen.org applauds the historic visits of Patriarch Rai in the United States and Europe, which is a continuation of the message of his Holiness PopeJean-Paul II visit in 1997 of lebanon and Historical visit of the Patriarch Sfeir to the United states in 2005.
During his Homily Pope Jean-Paul II has described Lebanon as: "LEBANON IS MORE THAN A COUNTRY, IT IS A MESSAGE." (JOHN PAUL II). Then our beloved Patriarch Sfeir and his fight for Freedom and Unity in his own words: Lebanon was and still is a living example of coexistence and perhaps this is the characteristic that is vexing those who want to destroy it.” (Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir/August 01, 2006).
Currently Patriarch Rai unique positions to the Lebanese " which outline the continuation of the great vision of the Pope, Vatican and Patriarch Sfeir describing Lebanon as a message, of Love and unity of one Holly Family, "We are keen on our pluralism for it is what characterizes Lebanon," (Patriarch Rai Texax Houston 2011)
Khazen.org praises our Patriarch and his efforts in bringing all Lebanese together. It is extremely important that Lebanese immigrants register with their Embassy worldwide, stay connected with Lebanon a country that needs you!
Despite his visit to the U.S being a pastoral visit, Patriarch Rai has made several political statements during his first visit as a Patriarch. The most notable speech was the one delivered in St.Louis in the presence of General Archbishop Paul Sayah and the newly ordained Bishop Hanna Alwan where he clarified the controversies that have been surrounding him since his last trip to France.
First of all, he re-asserted that what has been spread in the papers about his views on Syria and the Assad regime were distorted and the result of a misunderstanding and that there's an official transcript that states all that's been said. [Link]
Second of all, Patriarch Rai confirmed that he has not shown any fear on the Maronites in Lebanon while meeting Sarkozy, as he is a true holder of the Christian cause and there's no fear on a community that has such a sacred cause; yet he argued that Christians need to behave more responsibly to safeguard their free presence and secure a brighter future. [Link]
In addition to the St.Louis statements, an interview that Patriarch Rai conducted with the Beirut Observer in Chicago was released today, elaborating on his views on the recent political situation in Lebanon and the Middle East, and vis-a-vis political parties in Lebanon and the Syrian regime.
Here are few headlines of what came in that long interview, you can check the full article [Here].
- Patriarch Rai stated that we have suffered enough from the Syrian regime in the past and that he hopes no one experiences what we went through. However he expressed his fear that the situation will turn into a chaotic one similar to the situation in Iraq whenever Assad's regime falls.
- Patriarch Rai believes Hezbollah's weapons are causing divisions within the Lebanese society, as it is not normal for a citizen to be holding a gun while another is not. The Hezbollah issue is the international community's responsibility as well as Israel must stop violating our land and abide by the UN resolutions.
- Patriarch Rai confirmed that he is at one distance from all parties and that Bkerke is still on the same line as the Vatican in terms of principles and Christian values, and that it is normal to have varying opinions on certain matters.
For those interested in reading more on the Patriarch's visit to the U.S and other statements he made lately, you can check them all [Here].
