06 October 2011

BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai dismissed any concerns over the future of his church’s community Wednesday, denying recent media reports that he feared for the fate of Lebanon’s Maronites.

“Such claims are false. Journalists and media institutions shouldn’t be telling lies. It is a shame that some are paying money to journalists to lie … I defend a cause and I know exactly what I said,” Rai told reporters in Missouri on the second day of a 19-day pastoral visit to the United States.

Rai said Monday that Christians in the Middle East are not a minority, but warned current crises in the region hurt unity between Muslims and Christians.

“The world is talking about minorities nowadays, but we are not a minority … we are the foundation of the East,” Rai said.

Rai also criticized Wednesday the media for misrepresenting his statements during a recent visit to France, saying his remarks, which sparked controversies in Lebanon and abroad, were taken out of context.

Rai said in France that President Bashar Assad should have been given a chance to carry out reforms in Syria and voiced concerns over the fate of Christians in Syria if sectarian strife breaks out between the Alawite minority in power and the Sunni majority.

Rai also urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese occupied territories to challenge Hezbollah’s pretext to maintain its arsenal to resist occupation.

“I said that my statements were taken out of context. Lebanon’s ambassador to Paris, who attended all meetings, presented an official report to the Lebanese state. The president and the prime minister relied on this official report before they made their statements,” Rai said referring to recent statements by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati in support of his positions.

“I regret that my statements were misreported in Lebanon … what we said is clear and we will not come back to it. We turned a new page but unfortunately some hold on to words to build stances on them,” Rai added.

Rai has come under fire from March 14 parties which criticized his statements in Paris before toning down their rhetoric shortly after the patriarch said that his statements were misreported.

On the other hand, March 8 parties welcomed Rai’s stances and Hezbollah officials said they shared Rai’s vision on the situation in the Middle East.

Rai led a preparatory meeting Wednesday ahead of a convention of Maronite bishops on the North American continent that is set to take place over the next three days.

Rai’s trip to the U.S. was postponed from Sept. 30 to Oct.3 after the cancellation of the patriarch’s stop in Washington, D.C., where he was to meet with U.S. officials.

Media reports said Rai’s visit to Washington to meet with high-ranking officials, including U.S. President Barack Obama, was canceled as a sign of the United States’ disapproval of the patriarch’s remarks on Syria and Hezbollah’s arms.

Copyright The Daily Star 2011.