BICOM

Hezbollah will reportedly warn patriarch Beshara al-Rai, the leader of the Lebanese Maronite church, of grave consequences unless he cancels plans to accompany Pope Francis during his upcoming visit to Israel later this month.

Pope Francis will be in Israel for 24 hours on 25 May, following in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI who visited in 2009 and Pope John Paul II in 2000. In addition to visiting key Christian sites, Pope Francis is also scheduled to visit the Western Wall, Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem in addition to meeting with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pope Francis will also convene with Catholic leaders in the local diocese, which technically includes patriarch al-Rai, who is planning to travel to Israel for this purpose.

Al-Rai told the Lebanese Daily Star that greeting the Pope is “part of my prerogative as a patriarch of the Antioch and the Levant” and that, “I realise Lebanon considers Israel an enemy … which is why I asked not to meet with [Israeli] officials there.” Al-Rai plans to enter Israel via Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and is scheduled to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

However, al-Rai’s planned visit is being virulently opposed by Hezbollah, which has cultivated close ties with the Maronite church. Officials from both sides reportedly meet monthly to discuss political and security issues. The pro-Hezbollah daily Al-Akhbar said yesterday that, “The patriarch’s visit to Jerusalem cannot pass quietly,” as it “humanizes the enemy, breaking the taboo and opening the door to all the believers eager to visit the holy sites.”

According to Israel Radio news, Hezbollah officials will meet with al-Rai today in an attempt to persuade him to cancel his visit, warning him of “grave consequences” to Lebanon’s internal situation if he goes ahead. The trip comes at a sensitive moment politically, with Lebanon’s parliament having so far failed to choose a successor to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, whose term ends later this month.