Al-Rahi Travels to Vatican, Throws Weight behind Government over Hostages

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said ahead of traveling to the Vatican on Saturday that he trusted the government in its policies to resolve the case of Lebanese soldiers and policemen taken hostage by jihadists in August.

“We trust this government, which is working with wisdom and patience under Prime Minister Tammam Salam,” to secure the release of the captives, said al-Rahi at Rafik Hariri International Airport before catching his flight to the Vatican.

“We back the cabinet in all it does because it is the most aware of things and knows best the decisions that it should take,” he said.

The soldiers and police were taken captive in August when al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group overran the northeastern border town of Arsal. Three of them have been executed.

The families of the hostages have been staging protests and blocking major roads.

Despite his “sympathy” with them, al-Rahi asked the relatives to reopen the Dahr al-Baidar road, which is a vital artery linking Beirut and Mount Lebanon with the eastern Bekaa Valley.

The patriarch hoped that Eid al-Adha would offer a glimmer of hope for unity among politicians and in confronting terrorism.