(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Patriarch Beshara Rai will head to Washington, DC on Monday to lead a delegation of Eastern church patriarchs at a conference on protecting the Christian presence in the Levant.
The conference will draw senior Middle Eastern Christian and American figures in Washington D.C., according to sources.
Rai returned to Beirut on Tuesday following a visit to the Vatican, where he met with Pope Francis to brief him on the results of last month’s conference of the heads of Eastern churches held at the Maronite patriarch’s summer seat in Diman, to discuss threats facing the Christian presence in the Levant by Al-Qaeda-linked groups.
Rai did not speak to reporters at Beirut airport and headed straight to Bkirki, north of Beirut.
While in Washington, the conference’s sponsors may arrange meetings with senior U.S. officials, source say. If he meets U.S. officials, Rai will discuss issues that serve the Christian presence in the Levant.
The first day of the conference will take place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in D.C., followed by two days at the Capitol building, where Rai and his colleagues will hold talks with U.S. senators and attend lectures on human rights and freedom of belief.
Rai will also visit Cleveland, Ohio. Click here for more information about the Ohio visit.