Maronite Catholic Patriarch Bechara al Rai has described the detention and questioning of Archbishop Moussa el-Hage as a “security, legal, and political farce,” and hinted that the military tribunal that questioned the archbishop was prompted by the Hezbollah movement.

The detention of the archbishop, who was questioned for eight hours, was a grave offense against the integrity of the Church, the Lebanese Patriarch said. The archbishop was released after top judicial officials intervened on his behalf.

The Maronite leader also demanded the release of funds that were confiscated by the military tribunal from the archbishop. The funds were gifts from families in Israel to relatives in Lebanon; the military tribunal accused Archbishop el-Hage of violating Lebanon’s boycott of Israel.