Cardinal Rai says Christians always pay the highest price in Mideast conflicts

August 26, 2013 - According to the leader of the eastern-rite Maronite Catholics, Christians always pay the highest price when conflicts erupt in Middle East countries such as Egypt, Syria and Iraq. In an interview to Vatican Radio, Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Rai,Cardinal Rai observed that whenever a conflict breaks out in the Middle East, whenever chaos ensues, Muslim groups attack the minority Christian community, as if they were always the scapegoat. The Patriarch, who is based in Lebanon also noted that other countries, especially in the West but also elsewhere, are helping to foment these conflicts. He said that Christians seek security and stability and he spoke of how throughout the Arab world Christians respect the institutions, the authorities and the constitution. Cardinal Rai said that the presence of Christians in Arab countries has created a certain moderation in the Muslim world. Speaking about the tensions between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Christian community in Egypt, the Maronite Patriarch said it was clear that once in power the Brotherhood would seek Shariah law, which Christians were against. Christians, he said want a reformed and democratic Egypt, an Egypt that knows how to respect human rights.