Patriarch Rai says “does not follow any party”

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During a ceremony in the US city of Saint Louis, Missouri , Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said on Sunday that he does not follow any party, but on the contrary he is followed by them.

“The patriarch does not follow any party; he is followed by them ,” he said

“Whoever wants freedom and truth should follow the patriarch,” Rai stressed

Rai also said that the true allegiance of the patriarch is to Lebanon only, adding that the Maronite Patriarchate supports all Christians and Muslims.

Rai kicked off a three week pastoral visit to the US on October 1. Unlike his predecessor he is not expected to meet any US officials, nor be invited to the white house

Rai came under fire earlier in September from the opposition March 14 parties but won praise from March 8 politicians for indirectly defending Hezbollah’s arms and linking the party’s arsenal to the termination of Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory and the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland . Even MP Walid Jumblatt who defected from March 14 alliance was very critical of Rai’s statements.

Rai emphasized during a trip to Paris that “only when the international community exerts pressure on Israel to vacate the occupied Lebanese territory ( the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba hills and the Lebanese part of the disputed border village of Ghajar ) and Israel allows Palestinians in Lebanon to return to their homes, can Hezbollah be asked to hand over its arms because they will no longer be needed.”

Rai added that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is “open-minded” and should be given more chances to implement the reforms he already announced.

The patriarch claimed after returning to Lebanon that the remarks he made while in Paris “were taken out of context and have nothing to do” with his personal opinion.

Rai reiterated his controversial position on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms during a meeting Friday with President Michel Suleiman who is planning to renew his call for rival leaders to engage in national dialogue to end their deep political divisions, sources said.

Assad’s regime has cracked down on a string of unprecedented protests across his country, killing more than 2,900 civilian protesters since the uprising began in March, according to the United Nations.

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31 responses to “Patriarch Rai says “does not follow any party””

  1. josephphdman Avatar
    josephphdman

    dear rai
    we all know your intentions are good ,and you love lebanon and the lebaneese people , but lebanon will not heal as long as there are illegitimate arms group and militias threaten the people and the state authority of lebanon;do,nt give the people and the world the wrong idea , and the wrong impression , you should announce that you only support lebanon as one state ,one army , and one governement , and you do nt support the illegal weapons of hezbollah, or any other groups , which are a cancer  within the lebaneese state , and they keep the country week and going backward , instead of strong and forward ,
    make no exuse ,for anyone to hold illegal arms within lebanon , against the will of the people and the will of the state regardless. all must be disarmed ,ha and  including palestinians in lebanon , but the state ; should have the sole right to bear arms , and that is the way every respected country in the world operates.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Yes, and true … but we won’t mention the very weird NRA and various ‘militias’ in the USA. 😉
      We should understand that Rai comes from the ‘peace’ side of human thought … and thus is slightly unrealistic, even if contemplating the ‘ideals’ of his faith. Most ‘faith-leaders’ are like that. The problem is that people try to turn it into something else.
       Rai doesn’t pretend to know anything about roads, electricity, or clean water. He left that up to the incompetents in the cabinet.

  2.  Avatar

    dear rai
    we all know your intentions are good ,and you love lebanon and the lebaneese people , but lebanon will not heal as long as there are illegitimate arms group and militias threaten the people and the state authority of lebanon;do,nt give the people and the world the wrong idea , and the wrong impression , you should announce that you only support lebanon as one state ,one army , and one governement , and you do nt support the illegal weapons of hezbollah, or any other groups , which are a cancer  within the lebaneese state , and they keep the country week and going backward , instead of strong and forward ,
    make no exuse ,for anyone to hold illegal arms within lebanon , against the will of the people and the will of the state regardless. all must be disarmed ,ha and  including palestinians in lebanon , but the state ; should have the sole right to bear arms , and that is the way every respected country in the world operates.

    1.  Avatar

      Yes, and true … but we won’t mention the very weird NRA and various ‘militias’ in the USA. 😉
      We should understand that Rai comes from the ‘peace’ side of human thought … and thus is slightly unrealistic, even if contemplating the ‘ideals’ of his faith. Most ‘faith-leaders’ are like that. The problem is that people try to turn it into something else.
       Rai doesn’t pretend to know anything about roads, electricity, or clean water. He left that up to the incompetents in the cabinet.

  3. Patriarch Rai,
    You make us very proud, your words of wisdom are unprecedented. As you said yesterday in Peoria “don’t ask when the Batrack is with, ask who is with the Batrack”, we appropriate your sensibility of the current situation. You speeches are full of energy and sensation. God bless.    

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      I’m glad you didn’t try a poem with the word ‘appropriate’ … 😉

      1. 🙂

    2. correction “appreciate” instead “appropriate”. Thank you 5th … 

  4.  Avatar

    Patriarch Rai,
    You make us very proud, your words of wisdom are unprecedented. As you said yesterday in Peoria “don’t ask when the Batrack is with, ask who is with the Batrack”, we appropriate your sensibility of the current situation. You speeches are full of energy and sensation. God bless.    

    1.  Avatar

      I’m glad you didn’t try a poem with the word ‘appropriate’ … 😉

      1.  Avatar

        🙂

    2.  Avatar

      correction “appreciate” instead “appropriate”. Thank you 5th … 

  5. 5thDrawer Avatar

    The Surest Sign That Intelligent Life Exists Elsewhere In The Universe ……
    … Is The Fact That It Has Never Tried To Contact Us.

    1. 5th, i have  to agree with you our record  and behavior is horrific. my love for animals grows as my respect for humans deminishes.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Don’t look at the latest ‘economic’ news bits either … 🙁

        1. i hope this will cheer you up and make you smile, please search you tube for elephant paint self portrait.

        2. 5thDrawer Avatar

          Errr … Thanks Geo. 😉  Damn elephant is making more than me – and gets to watch the cute Thai girls too. 🙂

  6.  Avatar

    The Surest Sign That Intelligent Life Exists Elsewhere In The Universe ……

    … Is The Fact That It Has Never Tried To Contact Us. 

    1. 5th, i have  to agree with you our record  and behavior is horrific. my love for animals grows as my respect for humans deminishes.

      1.  Avatar

        Don’t look at the latest ‘economic’ news bits either … 🙁

        1. i hope this will cheer you up and make you smile, please search you tube for elephant paint self portrait.

        2. i hope this will cheer you up and make you smile, please search you tube for elephant paint self portrait.

        3.  Avatar

          Errr … Thanks Geo. 😉  Damn elephant is making more than me – and gets to watch the cute Thai girls too. 🙂

        4.  Avatar

          Errr … Thanks Geo. 😉  Damn elephant is making more than me – and gets to watch the cute Thai girls too. 🙂

  7. Patience2 Avatar

    What logic does he follow?

  8.  Avatar

    What logic does he follow?

  9. Hannibal Avatar

    Religious leaders should stick to the spiritual and stop meddling with politics. Religion and state separation is the best idea humans ever put forward… After sliced bread and the Internet of course. 😉

  10. Religious leaders should stick to the spiritual and stop meddling with politics. Religion and state separation is the best idea humans ever put forward… After sliced bread and the Internet of course. 😉

  11. FadiAbboud Avatar
    FadiAbboud

    Christians should be “Christ like” and not stay quiet when injustice and murders prevail.. 
    sad that this man chooses to stay quiet when hes supposed to be the leader oh his people

  12.  Avatar

    Christians should be “Christ like” and not stay quiet when injustice and murders prevail.. 
    sad that this man chooses to stay quiet when hes supposed to be the leader oh his people

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