Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the Lebanese Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, is a former director of Arabic programs on Vatican Radio who went on to become the first Maronite cardinal patriarch to take part in a conclave.

Born on 25 February 1940 in Himlaya, Lebanon, Raï studied at the Jesuits’ Notre Dame de Jambour College and entered the Mariamite Maronite Order in 1962. He pursued his education in Rome, earning a doctorate in canon law and a license in sacred theology from the Pontifical Lateran University.

Ordained priest on 3 September 1967, Raï initially served as the director of Arab Language programs at Vatican Radio. He returned to Lebanon in 1975, where he held various positions, including director of the College of Notre Dame in Louayzé and judge on the Patriarchal Tribunal.

On 2 May 1986, Raï was elected Patriarchal Vicar and assigned the titular episcopal see of Caesarea Philippi by Pope John Paul II. He was ordained as a bishop on 12 July 1986. In 1990, he was appointed Bishop of Jbeil (Byblos) for Maronites and later became Secretary of the Permanent Synod of the Maronite Church in 2003.

On 15 March 2011, at the age of 71, Raï was elected as the 77th successor of St. Maron, becoming the Patriarch of Antioch for Maronites. Pope Benedict XVI granted him the Ecclesiatica Communio on 24 March 2011. As is customary for Maronite Patriarchs, he took the additional name Boutros, after Saint Peter.

Cardinal Raï participated in the conclave of March 2013. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Benedict XVI in the consistory of 24 November 2012, becoming the first Maronite Cardinal Patriarch to participate in a papal conclave. Currently, he serves as a member of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches.

Cardinal Raï welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to Lebanon in September 2012 during the Arab Spring and Syrian civil war.

On February 15, 2017, Pope Francis granted Cardinal Raï the title of Lawyer of the Roman Rota.

Throughout his career, Cardinal Raï has been involved in various religious and social initiatives, including promoting peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the Arab world. He has also held positions in several Vatican congregations and councils.

Cardinal Raï has been a prominent voice for the Maronite Church and has played a significant role in both religious and political affairs in Lebanon and the broader Middle East region.