Head of the Maronite church Bechara al-Rai during his Sunday sermon on June 23, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad on Sunday responded to remarks made by Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, who the party perceived as describing their operations in the south as "terrorist." In the first comments by Hezbollah on Rai's statement, Fayad said that his party "sent a message to Bkirki conveying that the resistance is deeply hurt by these remarks."
The relations between Bkirki and the party have been strained recently, notably by the regular statements of Rai against Hezbollah's involvement in the war in Gaza with the opening of an armed front in southern Lebanon.
Following Rai's statement last week, Hezbollah notably boycotted a spiritual summit organized at the Patriarchate, during the visit of Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.
"The use of the term terrorism is a confrontational and combative language, not a political disagreement," he said speaking to Aljadeed TV.
Fayyad emphasized that Hezbollah acknowledges the unique role and position of Bkirki, underscoring the importance of maintaining open channels of dialogue. "What happened needs containment and resolution. The steps taken so far are positive but must be followed by further actions," he added.
In last week's sermon, while calling for the election of a new president, Rai said that the head of state should be "responsible for Lebanon not to become a platform for terrorist operations that would shake the security of the region and its stability."
A statement made as almost every day since Oct. 8, strikes are launched from southern Lebanon toward Israeli positions. These strikes are mainly launched by Hezbollah, which claims attacks every day and, to a lesser extent, by other armed groups like Hamas or the Islamic Jihad.
On June 27, the director of the Catholic Information Center, Father Abdo Abou Kasm clarified Rai's remarks and claimed the Patriarch "did not refer to the resistance as terrorism, but rather to the behavior of Israeli terrorism." The fact that Abou Kasm "represents Rai at events organized by Hezbollah "indicates that he recognizes their existence," even if "there are matters on which we disagree, including weapons and neutrality," he added to Al-Jadeed.
Fayyad noted that "Father Abou Kasm took a positive step in the right direction, but that "additional steps are necessary," including "clarifications" from Rai himself.
Rai often criticizes Hezbollah's role in Lebanon and Hezbollah's intervention in the south as a support front after Hamas' Oct. 7 operation without naming the party.
The head of communications for the Patriarchate, Walid Ghayad, confirmed Monday that Rai's remarks "were in no way intended to target Hezbollah or label it as a terrorist organization." Paying tribute to the "martyrs who fell in southern Lebanon," he assured that "communication remains open between Bkirki and Hezbollah."
"If Patriarch Rai considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization, he would cut off all communication," he added.
