Bishop meets Bassil as al-Rahi seeks Christian consensus

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is continuing his efforts to secure Christian consensus over the presidential file, a media report said on Friday.

“In an attempt to reconcile viewpoints between political forces, the Christian ones in particular, the Maronite Archbishop of Antelias Antoine Abu Najem will visit the heads of Christian parties to explore their stances and approach toward the presidential juncture,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported.

“Bishop Abu Najem’s first tour of politicians will be exploratory, during which he will look into the stances of the political forces over the proposed presidential initiatives. Should the first round be fruitful, the second phase will be focused on holding bilateral meetings between the heads of Christian parties,” informed sources told the daily.

The newspaper added that Abu Najem has already met with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.