Al-Rahi from Tripoli: We Pray the City Will Enjoy Security in Order to Preserve its Diversity
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated on Friday that the residents of the northern city of Tripoli will remain in his heart and prayers after the unrest that had frequently plagued the city in the past.
He said: “We pray that the city will enjoy security and safety in order for it to preserve its diversity.”
He made his remarks during a mass held in the city on the occasion of Saint Maroun day.
“We pray for Tripoli's salvation and that it enjoys peace away from violence and division,” added the patriarch.
“The frequent clashes had repeatedly forced us to postpone our visit to the city, but its residents will remain in our hearts and prayers,” al-Rahi said.
He also hoped that Tripoli and the North Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar would return to Lebanon soon.
The cleric had left the country recently over threats against his life.
The patriarch had arrived in the northern city on Friday afternoon where he held talks ahead of the mass with members of Tripoli's Maronite archbishopric.
Clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen had erupted at various occasions over the past year over various disputes, claiming a number of lives.
The most recent violence in Tripoli took place in January when a convoy of Sports and Youth Minister Faisal Karami came under attack as protesters demanding the release of Islamist inmates opened fire during a rally.
One of the cars in the convoy was completely destroyed and five of the minister's bodyguards were wounded.
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