Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi last month ended a four-day visit to Moscow on the invitation of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill I.
The meeting is significant and constitutes an advanced step taken by Rahi to bring closer Eastern churches of various doctrines. This approach is supported by the Kremlin and the Vatican, which seek to protect the Christian minorities in the East, whose survival is being challenged by the dominance of Islamic forces over the Arab Spring movements.