The Maronite Patriarch Béchara Rai during a mass held on the eve of Easter in Bkerké, on April 4, 2026. Photo Ani
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai is planning to visit southern Lebanon on Wednesday, after Easter, which is celebrated this Sunday by Catholic communities, the state-run National News Agency reported Saturday. He also criticized “Iranian interference via Hezbollah” and said Lebanon remains committed to the authorities’ determination to restore state sovereignty over all its territory.
According to MTV, the head of the Maronite Church will lead a delegation of bishops on a tour that includes meetings in several localities. The patriarchate’s press office did not respond to requests for details of the visit’s program.
The trip comes as large parts of the border area between southern Lebanon and northern Israel are occupied by the Israeli army, which has said it intends to establish a buffer zone there, amid its war with Hezbollah. Fighting between the two sides resumed on March 2, ending more than a yearlong ceasefire, after the conflict launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on Feb. 28.
In his homily at the patriarchal seat in Bkerke, Rai addressed the crisis caused by the conflict, as the government and much of public opinion blame the Shiite party for dragging the country into a war it did not want.
“The Church continues to work for Lebanon to regain peace, sovereignty and its free political decision. The country is going through a critical situation due to Iranian interference via Hezbollah and Israeli aggression. Lebanon remains committed to the president’s oath, the ministerial declaration and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions,” he said.
“Lebanon is facing a heavy burden: the burden of crises, challenges, war and accumulating hardships. The resurrection teaches us that this burden is not immutable and what seems impossible can be changed,” he added.
“Our hearts bleed for the victims of the conflict imposed on Lebanon by Hezbollah and Israel, for the displaced, for destroyed homes and for those who stand firm despite isolation and violations of international law,” the patriarch said, calling to “protect civilians and create humanitarian corridors to provide food, medicine and other necessities.”
“Opening humanitarian corridors is not only a humanitarian requirement, but also a legal international duty, based on the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, Additional Protocol I of 1977 and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. These texts require the protection of civilian populations and guarantee unhindered access to humanitarian aid,” he said.
More than 1 million people have fled Israeli bombardment since the start of the war, while 1,368 people, including 125 children, have been killed.
