Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai in the Christian border village of Dibil in the Bint Jbeil district in south Lebanon on Aug. 10, 2025. (Photo taken from the Patriarchate's Facebook page)
BEIRUT — "Limited attempts to bridge the widening gap between the Lebanese Maronite Patriarchate and the Hezbollah-Amal alliance” are taking place, Asharq al-Awsat reported Sunday, following recent criticism by Patriarch Bechara al-Rai regarding Hezbollah’s weapons, which drew sharp reactions from Shiite religious and political authorities, and caused a controversy on social media.
The head of the Catholic Information Center in Lebanon, Monsignor Abdo Abou Kasm, told the pan Arab newspaper that “communication took place through Shiite figures who usually coordinate with Bkirki, to put matters into perspective concerning its relationship with the two parties.” He noted that “when it comes to political affairs, we leave it to the state to handle them with its wisdom and expertise.”
“Hezbollah has emptied resistance of its true meaning; resistance is not about submitting to the dictates of Iran,” Rai had said in an interview with Saudi channel Al Arabiya on Tuesday. He argued that the Shiite community was fed up with Hezbollah’s arsenal and that the party must “think of its Lebanese identity." Rai's remarks take place as Hezbollah finds itself weakened from a 13-month war with Israel that ended in November 2024 with a fragile cease-fire.
On Aug. 7, the Lebanese government adopted a proposal from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack consisting of 11 articles. It focuses primarily on ending the armed presence of all non-state factions in Lebanon and securing Israel’s withdrawal from the five positions it occupies in the South. Hezbollah said it would disregard the Cabinet's decision to set the end of 2025 as a deadline for the party's disarmament.
Pro-Hezbollah lawyer summoned for questioning
Jaafari Mufti Ahmad Qabalan, a pro-Hezbollah cleric, had responded sharply Wednesday to Rai, saying that “no force on earth can take away Hezbollah’s weapons because its weapons and those of the Amal Movement are the weapons of God.” He went on to say that Hezbollah “will not allow Zionism to reoccupy Lebanon” because “the Shiite community has had enough of capitulation, betrayal and false testimony.”
In this context, pro-Hezbollah lawyer Bushra Khalil was summoned Sunday for questioning by the Bar Association over statements criticizing Rai, according to local media.
“Rai should give us a certificate to prove his 'Lebaneseness,'" she said, quoting his initial statement against Hezbollah. "If he was truly Lebanese, he would stand on the southern border and defend against Israeli expansion."
"The Maronite Patriarchate has always been a part of the Zionist project — read history — they have always stood with Israel. Lebanese show their true patriotism when their enemy comes to invade; those who open their doors to the enemy cannot claim to be true Lebanese," Khalil said in a televised interview posted on her Facebook page Saturday.
'Rai lives in Bkirki, sitting on a chair, giving lectures'
In another clip, also shared on Saturday, she said: “Sayyed Hassan’s [Nasrallah, former Hezbollah chief killed by an Israeli airstrike on Sep. 27, 2024] death followed the same footsteps as Jesus Christ's. Didn’t the disbelievers pursue him to the end, crucify him, and pin needles on him, just because he stood for the truth? This is what happened to the sayyed; he was also killed defending the truth, targeted by American aircraft and others who wanted him dead for standing up against Israel."
“Rai sits in Bkirki giving lectures and judging others. I respect Bkirki as a religious institution, but they cannot dominate us. Bkirki has always been with the Zionist project,” she insisted.
Contacted on Monday by L'Orient Today, Bkirki's spokesperson, Walid Ghayad, was not immediately available for comment.
