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.