Patriarch Al-Rai Heads to Syria

Local Editor

Lebanese Maronite Cardinal Bshara Boutros al-Rai is scheduled to travel to Syria Sunday to attend a ceremony marking the appointment of the new patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, in what will be a rare visit by the head of the Maronite Church.

"Al-Rai will visit Syria Sunday to participate in the official appointment of Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi just as he participated in the appointment of Coptic Pope Bishop Tawardos in Egypt," Bishop Samir Mazloum told al-Joumhouria newspaper.
In parallel, he added: "There was no political dimension to the visit and that al-Rai, who was recently appointed cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, would not meet any Syrian officials."
Al-Rai's visit will be the first by a Lebanese Maronite patriarch since Lebanon's independence in 1943.

Local media reported Saturday that the ceremony, which will be held in Damascus, would include several religious figures from all sects in order to present a unified front in the country and affirm the presence of Christians there.
John X Yazigi, bishop of Western and Central Europe, was elected Greek Orthodox patriarch of the Levant and Antioch, succeeding Patriarch Hazim Ignatius IV who died in December 2012.

The election took place during a gathering of 18 bishops from Greek Orthodox archbishoprics around the world who met in Lebanon to elect Hazim's successor.
Like Hazim, Yazigi is also Syrian. He was born in Latakia in 1955.

Source: The Daily Star, Edited by moqawama.org