Al-Rahi’s Visit to the South: Warm Welcome and Praise for his Stances
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s second-day visit to the South on Sunday had political aspects whereby parties in the region made enthusiastic receptions for him and praised his stances.
Al-Rahi toured several villages and towns, arriving in Msayleh, where he met with Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence at the end of his three-day visit on Monday.
A luncheon banquet, which was attended by President Michel Suleiman, was thrown in his honor.
Al-Rahi kicked off the last day of his tour by a visit to Sayyidat al-Beshara Monastery in Rmeish.
His second day tour began Sunday in the Druze town of Bayyada in Hasbaya, where senior Druze clerics and representatives of major parties welcomed him. Addressing the crowds, the patriarch said: “I see in front of me a symbol of Lebanon.”
But the Bayyada stop was marred by a dispute that erupted after Sheikh Ghaleb al-Qays criticized the March 14 opposition parties that opposed al-Rahi’s latest stances from the situation in Syria and Hizbullah’s arms without naming them.
The criticism pushed Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal to National Struggle Front bloc leader Walid Jumblat, to make another speech to appease the situation. He said al-Rahi’s visit was a continuation of the reconciliation process between the Druze and Christians in the Mountains.
A top Druze cleric, Fandi Jamal el-Din Shoujaa, also issued a statement rejecting al-Qays’ speech, saying it harmed the Druze sect.
In Nabatiyeh, Hizbullah officials praised al-Rahi. Among them was MP Mohammed Raad who expressed his “pride at the patriarch’s honest stances.”
At one point, Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is also Berri’s aide, described al-Rahi as the “Imam of patriarchs.”
During his tour, al-Rahi was also keen on stressing unity and urging rival factions to engage in national dialogue to save Lebanon. He also said Lebanon cannot overstep U.N. Security Council resolutions.
He said the warm welcome made him feel that he was “not the Maronite patriarch, but the patriarch of all Lebanese.”
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