Maronite Patriarch sees Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society

(mospat.ru) - On 3 April 2017, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, received in his residence in Bkerké, Lebanon, a delegation of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society led by Mr. Sergei Stepashin.

The delegation was accompanied by Hegumen Arseniy (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of the Great Antioch and All the East, and H.E. Mr. Alexander Zasypkin, Russia’s Ambassador to Lebanon.

Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi told his guests about the situation of the Maronite Christians in Syria, where the Maronite Church has three dioceses, and about his plans to visit Aleppo in the near future.

Mr. Sergei Stepashin told Patriarch Bechara about the history and current activities of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, aimed, among other things, at defending Christians in the Middle East.

To conclude the meeting, Hegumen Arseniy presented Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi with a book by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, entitled “Freedom and Responsibility. In Search of Harmony,” which was published in Lebanon in the Arabic language, website of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Beirut reports.