Béchara Raï is accused of being too “meek” in his positions towards Syria, but behind his prudent approach there is fear: an Islamic take over in Damascus would have negative consequences across the entire region
Strong words against His Beatitude, who is deemed too pro-Damascus. In Lebanon, the Maronite Patriarch, Béchara Raï, is accused of being too “meek” against Bashar el Assad, Syrian President.
“It is not an unusual accusation,” says the Secretary of State, dissmissing the fact. “Relations between the Maronite Church and Syria are complex and Lebanese internal balance is strongly affected by Syrian influence. In addition, it is also important to keep in mind the background of the Maronite representative before he was appointed Patriarch.”
The 71 years old Béchara Raï was born in Himlaya, a mountain village east of Beirut. He was ordained priest in 1967 and Bishop in 1986. From 1967 to 1975 he was also program manager of the Arab “Vatican Radio”. Six months ago, he was elected 77th Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites, replacing Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who after 26 years of office, decided to resign from his post.
Béchara Raï chose as his motto “Communion and Charity” trusting that “the Maronite Church would continue its journey in history under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of our Lord of Bkerké and Lebanon, thanks to the guiding spirit within us.”
However, what triggered the recent protests in his homeland was the Patriarch’s statement about the need to leave to Assad “more opportunities to complete the reforms he had started” because “if there is a change in the regime in Syria, and the Sunnis take over, they will form an alliance with the Sunnis in Lebanon and this will make the situation between Shiites and Sunnis in Lebanon significantly graver.”
Therefore, the Patriarch’s attitude towards the Syrian regime is driven by the fear of an Islamic power-grab in Damascus. This fact made Béchara Rai, Leader of the Maronite Church, gain the support of Hezbollah, a Syrian ally, and triggered the open hostility of the Sunni party and of the Christians representing the pro-Western opposition.
Muhammad al-Sammak, political and religious adviser to the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, deems the patriarch, “a pioneer worker for the unity of both Christians and Lebanese. He has significant ecumenical education and a strong belief in the unity of Christians,” he adds, “Raï firmly believes in the dialogue, coordination and cooperation among the Churches, but he also believes in creating constructive relationships with Muslims, without whom the nation cannot stand. His qualities clearly showed on occasion of the last Synod of Bishops. In fact, Raï was the official spokesman of the Synod, a fact that clearly demonstrates the respect tha the Vatican and the Eastern Churches have for him.”
The Director of the Centre Catholique d'Information in Jal el-Dib, Lebanon, don Abdo Abou Kassem, confirms that the Patriarch calls for “full respect of the dignity of all people, beyond party affiliations.” At the end of June, Bishop Boutros Raï, speaking at the 84th Meeting of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) spoke of the possibility that the riots in the Arab world lead to fundamentalist Islamic regimes. He also spoke of the risk of seeing the project “New Middle East” promoted by the U.S. administration turn into a “fragmentation of the Arab world into confessional states.” Statements that quickly made Lebanese headlines.
The Maronite Patriarch reminded of the work performed by the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops devoted to the Churches of the Middle East, which took place in October 2010, in Rome, and he stated that the role of the Catholic Church, in a context full of uncertainties, is that of helping maintain, in the respective societies, the Christians of the Arab world at the service of the cultural and economic development of such societies and see to their growth.
Implicitly, the Maronite Patriarch expressed his fear of seeing Syrian Christians forced to leave, as it happened in Iraq, should a Syrian destabilization occur.
This destabilization would have an unimaginable impact across the region, a Lebanese lawmaker, Farid al-Khazem, stated. It would certainly be felt in Lebanon, but also in Iraq and Jordan. The lawmaker clearly stated that Turkey is trying to play a protagonist role in the changes in Syria following its own agenda, but also thanks to a mission allegedly entrusted by the international community.
“We can see that Syrian opposition found in Turkey a host country.” These were the strong words of the Greek-Catholic Patriarch, Gregory III, at the opening of the annual Synod of his Church, which took place three months ago in Aïn Trez, at the summer residence of the Patriarch.
The Patriarch recommended to the United States and to the international community not to be distracted from the fundamental issue in the Middle East: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by multiplying the anti-Syrian “motions” and he called for a day of fasting and prayer at the Catholic Greek-Church in Syria.
Last week, on occasion of an official visit to France, Béchara Raï commented further on the developments of the Arab spring, which “worries and embarrasses” the Christian communities of the East. Fears of an Islamic extremism drift alternate with the hope for a future under a Secular state and with full religious freedom.
He took as an example the specific model of cohexistence offered by Lebanon. During the meetings at the Elysée and Matignon, at the Senate and the Quai d'Orsay, the Maronite Church Patriarch (who fully respected the tradition according to which a new patriarch visits Frances on occasion of his first official visit abroad) reminded of the “the fear caused by geopolitical events taking place in several Middle Eastern countries.”
In particular, concerning Syria, with which Lebanon has very close ties and where the Maronite Church has three dioceses, the Patriarch expressed his concern about seeing the current events turn into a civil war or a “drift towards Islamic extremism”.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of the aspiration for change, the leader of the Maronite Church stated that the external pressures that make these riots possible is not to be underestimated. Patriarch Raï stated his general opposition to the fragmentation of the Middle East on the basis of faith and religions.
“In recent months,” he said during a public speech, “the political geography of the Middle East has started to undergo transformations that caused us embarrassment and worry.” The missionary agency AsiaNews reports, he also reminded that “we are very well aware of that deeply rooted forces, internal and legitimate, that manipulate these societies striving for change; however, we cannot forget also all the foreign interferences. In order dispel this doubt and clarify our position between what we accept and what we do not accept, we offer a few elements.”
The Patriarch reminded that “as far as we, Lebanese, are concerned, and in relation to the Christians of the Orient, all the directives aimed at dividing the Middle East into confessional states are a trend that we reject. Because we believe that pluralism, in which minorities merge in harmony with others, is the best method to ensure dignity and freedom, along with our presence and our prosperity in the Middle East.
For this, we propose, against this confessional drift of whatever nature it may be, a model of a civilized nation that can guarantee a separation between state and religion, based on fundamental human rights and capable of recognizing and guaranteeing freedom of worship and a dignified life for every minority.”
The Patriarch has also reiterated his opposition to the transfer of Palestinians in Lebanon, stressing their need to “maintain their refugee status” and remain under the supervision of the UNHRC (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).
“We call on France to preserve the specificity of Lebanon,” Béchara Raï said, before adding that “being Francophone is a very important aspect for our country” and the “cornerstone of a deep-rooted cooperation” between Lebanon and France. And he asked for “the consolidation of the French-speaking right (in Lebanon) through more effective tools.”
Greeted at the Senate by President Gerard Larcher, the Patriarch took the opportunity to launch an appeal to the people of Lebanon about the ongoing turmoil in the region, inviting them to “strengthen dialogue under the flag of a true national reconciliation” and “take greater hold of their National Covenant”.
In a message that is especially aimed at the Hezbollah movement, he reminded that “no part of Lebanon, under the current circumstances, can take on the leadership of Lebanon on its own,” and that according to the Patriarch, “internal divisions make illegitimate the claim, by a single community, to speak on behalf of all Lebanon.”