Lebanon's Maronite patriarch to visit Saudi Arabia in historic first

Saudi Arabia has extended an invitation to Lebanon's Maronite Patriach Bechara Boutros Al Rahi, to visit the kingdom in the coming weeks, Arab News reported.

"Waleed Bukhari, the Saudi chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, said he handed Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi an invitation on Wednesday to visit Saudi Arabia and meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," the English language daily wrote. 

In his statement on the matter, Bukhari said the forthcoming visit “will be one of the most important official visits to the Kingdom." 

If the visit goes as planned, it will be the first time a Maronite patriarch visits the conservative kingdom. 

Christian expats in Saudi Arabia make up around 4 percent of the total population.

However, there are currently no churches open to followers of the faith.

Speaking to Arab News, Lebanese MP Boutros Harb, who's close to Al-Rahi, said: 

[The invitation] "is an attempt to strengthen Lebanese-Saudi relations and Christian-Saudi relations. It shows that Saudi Arabia ignores all sectarian differences and wants to establish new ties between King Salman and the Maronite patriarchate.”

The Mufti of Tripoli and Northern Lebanon, Sheikh Malik Al-Shaar, also spoke to Arab news, hailing the invitation. 

“Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country to embrace all Arab countries. The Kingdom is taking care of Lebanon with all its religions and communities, as well as the Lebanese cause and internal civil peace. It supports every step that comes within the framework of uniting Lebanese communities and groups," he said. 

[The invitation] “confirms that Saudi Arabia has opened its arms to all parties, communities and active actors in Lebanon,” Al-Shaar said.“ It’s now time to meet and discuss everything related to Lebanon in order to preserve the Christian presence in the East," he added. 

In a historic speech made last month, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom will "return to a moderate Islam that is open to all religions" in a bid to quash extremist ideologies.

The comments were made during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit in Riyadh which saw MBS discuss the many cultural and economic transformations expected to take place in the coming years. 

"We want to lead normal lives, lives where our religion and our traditions translate into tolerance, so that we coexist with the world and become part of the development of the world," the ambitious royal told CNN.

For decades, the laws of the country have been based on a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law.