Souaid to "Akhbar al-Yawm": the Shiite team is the one who boycotted since al-Rahi visited Jerusalem

The meeting of the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, and the delegation of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, led by the Vice President of the Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, breached the scene of tension and concern that prevailed yesterday over the intensity of shelling in the South, hours before the start of the implementation of the humanitarian truce.

The visit of the Shiite delegation to Bkerki has acquired positive connotations, especially after the campaign launched against Patriarch al-Rahi against the background of his request to offer sums of money and to present Sundays’ trays (of donations) to people who are coming from the southern towns, and it also resulted in a preliminary agreement to hold a spiritual summit soon at the headquarters of the higher Shi'ite Islamic Council in Hazmieh.

The holding of a spiritual summit at this time provides a comfortable atmosphere, especially after the attacks that affected many border areas, but the venue of this summit raised question marks.

The chairman of the Saydet el-Jabal Gathering, former MP Fares Souaid, in an interview with the "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency, pointed out that the spiritual summits that were against the background of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon were all held in Bkerki.

He pointed out that the first spiritual summit in this context was held in Bkerki in 1993 at the invitation of the late Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in 1993 to confirm the solidarity of all Lebanese, specifically the Islamic and Christian spiritual authorities in rejection of the Israeli aggression against southern Lebanon at that time, and this was repeated in 1996, when the "Grapes of Wrath" operation and the attack on the international emergency forces took place in the town of Qana, Patriarch Sfeir demanded to open the monasteries to all the people of the south and hold a spiritual – Islamic Summit in Bkerki in solidarity with all Lebanese.

Also in 2006, a spiritual summit was held in the patriarchal edifice to discuss the "seven points", which relate to (the release of prisoners and detainees, the withdrawal of the Israeli army beyond the Blue Line, the Return of displaced people to their towns and villages, the obligation of the UN Security Council to place the Shebaa farms and Kfarchouba hills under the authority of the United Nations until the demarcation of the border is completed, the extension of the authority of the Lebanese state over these territories, the handover by Israel to the United Nations of the maps of the mines it planted in southern Lebanon, the extension by the Lebanese government of its authority over its entire territory, the commitment of the international community to support Lebanon at all levels) in order to give it full national legitimacy, before transferring these points to Rome and there to the United Nations so that they would later become within the provisions of Resolution 1701, which ended the July war.

Souaid stressed that solidarity with the people of the south and all of Lebanon is needed today, and therefore why not all spiritual authorities come to Bkerki as usual? The spiritual summits that took place as a result of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon were held in Bkerki, and this should be repeated now.

Souaid pointed out that the Maronite Patriarchate -through successive patriarchs down to the Patriarch al-Rahi- has always been keen on internal unity and meeting all the Islamic and Christian spiritual references.

And what about the proposal to hold the summit at the headquarters of the supreme Shiite Islamic Council in Hazmieh? Souaid replied: I think there are those who wished to be held outside Bkerki. He pointed out that the Shiite team is responsible for boycotting all spiritual summits, since Patriarch Al-Rahi accompanied Pope Francis to Jerusalem in May 2014, since then there has not been an inclusive spiritual summit.

In this context, Souaid pointed out that the delegation of the Shiite Islamic Council visited Bkerki yesterday asking for national solidarity, and therefore let this solidarity come from Bkerki!

And about the christian weight, Souaid stressed that the Christian weight is not important, but Bkerki's role is the most important.