Bechara Boutros al-Rahi
Encyclopedia
Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi (or Raï, ) (born 25 February 1940) is the 77th Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, a position he has held since 15 March 2011, succeeding Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.
, Lebanon
on 25 February 1940. He attended Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour
, a Jesuit school in Lebanon. He entered the Mariamite Maronite Order
on 31 July 1962 and was ordained as a priest
on 3 September 1967. From 1967 to 1975 he has been responsible for the Arabic
transmissions of Vatican Radio
. In 1975 he was awarded a Phd
in canon
and civil law. He also studied for three years at the Lateran University in Rome.
. In 2003 he was elected Secretary of the Maronite Synod, and in 2009 he was appointed President of the Lebanese Episcopal Commission for the Media
.
for the inauguration of his patriarchate took place on 25 March 2011, in Bkerké
, the see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate. As is customary for all Maronite patriarchs Rahi took the additional name Boutros, that of Saint Peter
, who briefly held the See of Antioch before moving to Rome to become bishop there.
Syria and Hezbollah
In September 2011, some of the Christian
community of Lebanon, predominantly supportive of the March 14 alliance
, were upset over his controversial comments in Paris, France supporting Hezbollah's right to hold arms as long as there continued to be an Israeli occupation and that the 2011 Syrian protests could awaken the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood if President Bashar al-Assad
was removed from office. The opposition March 14 alliance criticised him for the comments and sought clarification from him, however the March 8 alliance
welcomed his comments. Prime Minister Najib Mikati
also supported his stance saying "The Maronite patriarch spoke about a part [of the problem]. No one is against the resistance’s arms as long as [Israeli] occupation continues. There is Lebanese unanimity on the resistance’s arms in the face of [Israeli] occupation." He said that after his meeting with al-Rahi that he was satisfied with the explanation and that he was "very relieved and reassured by the Patriarch’s wisdom."http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=312268 President Michel Suleiman
said that al-Rahi's comments were not "politics or political employment" and that he had an all-encompassing vision to show the French. He also added that "the Patriarch is not in need of anyone to defend him and his positions emanate from his central role as a person in charge of Lebanon's and the Middle East's Christians and that of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty;"http://www.iloubnan.info/politics/actualite/id/66376 and that "the patriarch does not need to be defended, and his stances represent his way of taking responsibility for Lebanon’s Christians."http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/09/15/suleiman-said-rai-doesnt-need-to-be-defended/ Parliament speaker Nabih Berri
said that Rai's "comments in Paris protect Lebanon from danger and I agree with what he stated and affirm his vision that is rooted in both a religious and national background" and that "If the situation further deteriorated in Syria and we reached a more radical rule than the current rule, like the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, Christians there would pay the price, either in the form of killings or displacement. Here is the picture of Iraq in front of us."http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Sep-10/148446-berri-rais-views-on-syria-helps-protect-lebanon.ashx#ixzz1XtYJSP5z Free Patriotic Movement
leader Michel Aoun
expressed support for al-Rahi and added that no one wants the al-Assad regime to fall. "Rai’s statements express the concerns of the minorities because he is entrusted with the Synod for the Middle East. Gradual changes doesn’t harm stability and wouldn’t get Syria into the [same] troubles as Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. [As some of the Syrian demonstrators are armed and are destroying the country] the Syrian government cannot but bring order to the country." Former March 14 Progressive Socialist Party
leader Walid Jumblatt
, who sits with the incumbent March 8 alliance in government, also criticised Rai's assessment of Hezbollah’s arms with the fate of the Middle East conflict on the grounds that "Lebanon cannot remain hostage to regional conflicts." He also criticised Rai’s assessment of regime change in Syria as posing a threat to Christians
in the country.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Sep-13/148627-rais-words-draw-jumblatts-ire.ashx#ixzz1XmaP6xt3
Early life
Bechara Boutros al-Rahi was born in Himlaya, Matn DistrictMatn District
Matn , sometimes spelled Metn, is a district in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
on 25 February 1940. He attended Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour
College Notre Dame de Jamhour
Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour is a private French-language, Jesuit catholic educational institution set in Jamhour . Its campus is set in a pine forest, and includes Petit Collège, Grand collège, a church, and a recently built sports complex...
, a Jesuit school in Lebanon. He entered the Mariamite Maronite Order
Mariamite Maronite Order
The Mariamite Maronite Order , is a monastic order in the Levantine Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning has been specifically a monastic Church...
on 31 July 1962 and was ordained as a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on 3 September 1967. From 1967 to 1975 he has been responsible for the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
transmissions of Vatican Radio
Vatican Radio
Vatican Radio is the official broadcasting service of the Vatican.Set up in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave , medium wave, FM, satellite and the Internet. The Jesuit Order has been charged with the management of Vatican...
. In 1975 he was awarded a Phd
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in canon
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and civil law. He also studied for three years at the Lateran University in Rome.
Religious positions
He was consecrated as auxiliary bishop of Antioch on 12 July 1986, by Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir and on 9 June 1990, he was appointed bishop of ByblosByblos
Byblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
. In 2003 he was elected Secretary of the Maronite Synod, and in 2009 he was appointed President of the Lebanese Episcopal Commission for the Media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
.
Maronite patriarch
At 71, he was elected Patriarch of the Maronites on 15 March 2011, after getting more than two-thirds of the votes of the 39 bishops and replacing Nasrallah Sfeir. The MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for the inauguration of his patriarchate took place on 25 March 2011, in Bkerké
Bkerké
Bkerké is the See of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate, located 650 m above the bay of Jounieh in Lebanon....
, the see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate. As is customary for all Maronite patriarchs Rahi took the additional name Boutros, that of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, who briefly held the See of Antioch before moving to Rome to become bishop there.
Religio-political views
In April 2011 Patriarch Rai said that, for the sake of communion and love, he would work "to establish a sincere and complete dialogue" with Muslims "and build together a future in common life and cooperation." Patriarch Rai said his predecessor "struggled with insistence to free both the national decision-making and the land of Lebanon from all forms of tutelage and occupation, worked for reconciliation in Mount Lebanon and realized needed church reforms. All of these constitute an extension of the church's springtime started by the Second Vatican Council."Syria and Hezbollah
In September 2011, some of the Christian
Christianity in Lebanon
Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history beginning with the visits of Jesus to the southern territories, where he is said to have performed many miraculous healings. Biblical Scriptures reveal that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient...
community of Lebanon, predominantly supportive of the March 14 alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
, were upset over his controversial comments in Paris, France supporting Hezbollah's right to hold arms as long as there continued to be an Israeli occupation and that the 2011 Syrian protests could awaken the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood if President Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
was removed from office. The opposition March 14 alliance criticised him for the comments and sought clarification from him, however the March 8 alliance
March 8 Alliance
The March 8 Alliance is a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon. It has been the ruling coalition since January 25, 2011 when the alliance managed to nominate Najib Mikati as the new prime minister.-History:...
welcomed his comments. Prime Minister Najib Mikati
Najib Mikati
Najib Azmi Mikati is a Lebanese politician, billionaire and is the current Prime Minister of Lebanon since 13 June 2011. From April 2005 to July 2005 he was Prime Minister of Lebanon in a caretaker government...
also supported his stance saying "The Maronite patriarch spoke about a part [of the problem]. No one is against the resistance’s arms as long as [Israeli] occupation continues. There is Lebanese unanimity on the resistance’s arms in the face of [Israeli] occupation." He said that after his meeting with al-Rahi that he was satisfied with the explanation and that he was "very relieved and reassured by the Patriarch’s wisdom."http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=312268 President Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...
said that al-Rahi's comments were not "politics or political employment" and that he had an all-encompassing vision to show the French. He also added that "the Patriarch is not in need of anyone to defend him and his positions emanate from his central role as a person in charge of Lebanon's and the Middle East's Christians and that of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty;"http://www.iloubnan.info/politics/actualite/id/66376 and that "the patriarch does not need to be defended, and his stances represent his way of taking responsibility for Lebanon’s Christians."http://www.yalibnan.com/2011/09/15/suleiman-said-rai-doesnt-need-to-be-defended/ Parliament speaker Nabih Berri
Nabih Berri
Nabih Berri is the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon. He heads the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement.-Biography:He was born in Bo, Sierra Leone to Lebanese parents. He went to school in Tebnine and Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon and later studied at the Makassed and the Ecole de la Sagesse in Beirut...
said that Rai's "comments in Paris protect Lebanon from danger and I agree with what he stated and affirm his vision that is rooted in both a religious and national background" and that "If the situation further deteriorated in Syria and we reached a more radical rule than the current rule, like the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, Christians there would pay the price, either in the form of killings or displacement. Here is the picture of Iraq in front of us."http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Sep-10/148446-berri-rais-views-on-syria-helps-protect-lebanon.ashx#ixzz1XtYJSP5z Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
leader Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
expressed support for al-Rahi and added that no one wants the al-Assad regime to fall. "Rai’s statements express the concerns of the minorities because he is entrusted with the Synod for the Middle East. Gradual changes doesn’t harm stability and wouldn’t get Syria into the [same] troubles as Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. [As some of the Syrian demonstrators are armed and are destroying the country] the Syrian government cannot but bring order to the country." Former March 14 Progressive Socialist Party
Progressive Socialist Party
The Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...
leader Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party . He is the most prominent leader of Lebanon's Druze community.-Family:...
, who sits with the incumbent March 8 alliance in government, also criticised Rai's assessment of Hezbollah’s arms with the fate of the Middle East conflict on the grounds that "Lebanon cannot remain hostage to regional conflicts." He also criticised Rai’s assessment of regime change in Syria as posing a threat to Christians
Christianity in Syria
Christians in Syria make up about 10% of the population, the largest Christian denomination is the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, closely followed by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and then the Syriac Orthodox Church; there are also a minority of Protestants...
in the country.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Sep-13/148627-rais-words-draw-jumblatts-ire.ashx#ixzz1XmaP6xt3