Lebanese upset over Maronite patriarch visiting Israel with the Pope

JPost reported:

The leader of the Maronite Church in Lebanon is set to accompany Pope Francis during his visit to Israel later this month, AFP reported on Friday.

Patriarch Beshara al-Rai was elected head of the Maronite Church in 2011.

“The pope is going to the Holy Land and Jerusalem,” Rai told AFP. “He is going to the diocese of the patriarch, so it’s normal that the patriarch should welcome him.”

Lebanese citizens are not permitted to visit Israel, nor are Israelis allowed to cross the border to the north. The only exception is Maronite clergy, who are permitted to travel as part of their function within the Church.

“It is a religious visit, and in no way a political one,” the patriarch said to AFP.

According to the report, Rai will not meet any political figures in Israel. He is, however, scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Al Akhbar English is going apoplectic:

Israel does not recognize Jerusalem as being Palestinian. According to the Zionists, this land is their capital and they want their counterparts to thank them for allowing them to live on its eastern outskirts. Visiting the occupied lands is only possible by complying with the occupation authorities, who are in charge of letting people in or keeping them out. No matter by whom, such visits could be used to promote normalization in any case, especially if the visitor is an Arab. So how about if the visitor was the head of the Church of Antioch and All the East?

Rai is still a Lebanese citizen, regardless of having become a religious figure.The late Coptic Pope Shenouda III refused to travel through Israel to visit the Holy Land, so he prohibited all Copts from visiting Jerusalem, as long as it remains under occupation. This was also the position of every Lebanese patriarch since 1948, although they appointed bishops at the head of the [Jerusalem] Diocese.

This month, however, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai will break the taboo, under the pretext of accompanying Pope Francis in is his tour of the region. But Lebanese public opinion is split between those who defend Rai's patriotism and those who oppose the visit because it violates the Lebanese constitution. Rai is a Lebanese citizen, regardless of having become a religious figure.

However, the majority of political parties are still hesitant to give their position, including Hezbollah. Sources from [the seat of the Maronite patriarch in] Bkirki told Al-Akhbar that there had been "indirect correspondences" between the two sides. "[Hezbollah] expressed wishes that the Patriarch would not visit the Holy Land," the sources said.

... Former deputy speaker of parliament, Elie Ferzli, defended the visit in his own way. He said he is currently "waiting." He delved into history and concluded that the issue should not be "from the perspective a Lebanese patriarch visiting the Holy Land. Israel is behind the campaign against the Christian presence there and experiences starting in 1948 are proof of its intentions."

According to Ferzli, the Israelis want to achieve three goals out of the visit. First, "harming Christians and saying that the Muslims are to blame, thus reviving Islamophobia." The second goal is "emptying the region, which witnessed the birth of Christ, to become a place without a soul." The third goal would be to "destroy the Levantine Church, allowing Israel to propose the equation of Mecca for the Muslims, the Vatican for the Christians, and Jerusalem for the Jews." This forced the Vatican to ask for a "Levantine cover, which is the Lebanese Maronite Church." Still according to Ferzli, the Vatican did not decide to plan the visit without an objective, "it is working on a long-term strategy. The issue cannot be put in a narrow framework."

The Lebanese BDS movement is even more upset, considering this a personal affront in an open letter:

Won’t your visit violate the decisions of the global BDS movement, which was established in 2006, calling for boycotting Israel, divesting from it and imposing sanctions on it. It is a campaign that now includes thousands of ecclesiastics, trade unionists, academics, artists, scientists and novelists? In other words, does the interest of this or that community supercede the interests and blood of the people of Palestine and Lebanon and the positions of a growing number of world activists, including prominent ecclesiastics such as South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu who was one of the heroes of his country’s liberation from apartheid?

They are also aghast at the terrible prospect of appearing to support "normalization."

I admit, it is fun seeing Israel's haters proving, day in and day out, how little they care about peace. Too bad so many people believe their lies about supporting "human rights."