Al-Rahi to Join Pope on Historical 'Religious, Non-Political' Jerusalem Visit
Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will travel to Jerusalem next month to greet Pope Francis, becoming the first head of the Maronite church to visit the holy land since Israel's creation in 1948, he said Friday.
"The pope is going to the Holy Land and Jerusalem. He is going to the diocese of the patriarch, so it's normal that the patriarch should welcome him," Rahi said by telephone from France.
Rahi's visit is diplomatically noteworthy because Lebanon remains technically at war with Israel and bans its citizens from entering the Hebrew state.
Maronite clergy are able to travel to the Holy Land to minister to the faithful there, but all other Lebanese are banned.
Rahi insisted that the trip will be strictly religious and has no political significance.
"It is a religious visit and in no way a political one."
Rahi's envoy Bishop Boulos Sayyah, who will accompany him, said the patriarch would not participate in any political meetings in Israel but will meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Source: Agence France Presse
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