Saturday, May 19, 2012

Pope visits Lebanon, with an eye toward Syria and Iran

“To support Christians and build a new society.” 

The Pope will travel to Lebanon to stop the exodus of religious minorities and to build a bridge of peace toward Syria and Iran. 

Benedict XVI will sign and deliver an Apostolic Exhortation on the Middle East. Implicit in the papal trip to Beirut (14-16 September) is the idea that communities in the region have a mission of reconciliation.
  
The Papal mission to Lebanon is particularly urgent because of the upheaval that has gripped the region, and the need to restore “the deeper meaning of the Arab Spring, often distorted by politicians and extremist movements,” Jesuit Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, expert on Islam and professor in Beirut, told AsiaNews

Tensions with Iran are also running high at the moment, marking a new phase in the region’s turmoil. “We clearly see the opposition between Sunnis and Shiites in our countries,” the Islamic scholar added. 

“This tension is becoming more and more pronounced, expressing itself in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and other countries against Iran. Syria is also fighting this kind of war, with the Alawites (similar to Shia Islam) against the Sunnis. And in Lebanon there is tension between Hezbollah and the Sunnis. The presence of the Holy Father could resolve this conflict.”
  
Lebanon is not a Muslim country. It is a multireligious Arab state. The President of the Republic is always a Christian (Catholic), while the Prime Minister is always a Muslim (Sunni). High offices are shared between the two religions. Its Parliament is composed of 128 members - 64 Christians and 64 Muslims (including the Druze) - and is headed by a Shia Muslim.
 
Why did the Pope choose Lebanon? “The first answer is that there are no other Middle Eastern countries that have both security and a significant Christian population,” says Fr. Samir Khalil Samir. 

“There are Christians in Iraq, but no security. Catholics in Egypt are a minority of no more than 250,000 people, carrying no weight in a society of 84 million inhabitants. In Tunisia, there are almost no Christians. In Jordan there is greater security, but also very few Catholics. Then, from a political point of view, he cannot visit the Palestinian territories and Israel ... So this leaves Lebanon, where there is a significant, respected, and active Catholic community with a strong organizational infrastructure.”
 
But there is also another reason: the Pope travels to Lebanon with an eye toward Syria, a country which has strong ties with Lebanon and Lebanese Christians. 

“He is coming to address Christians, who are divided on policy and on what to do about the very serious crisis in Syria,” the Jesuit said. 

“The Christian hierarchy in Syria (all denominations) prefer the Assad’s non-democratic, absolutist regime which guarantees security and broad religious freedom. But the people are divided: the highest class is with the regime, because it has allowed them to live and conduct their business in peace.” 

This also applies to rich Muslims in big cities like Damascus and Aleppo. But the lower classes experience many problems and abuses. 

“Anyone looking for a little justice and democracy cannot be on the side of the government. In particular, those who have political differences with the government cannot express themselves without risking imprisonment and torture,” the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) said.
 
Fr. Samir hopes that during his visit to Lebanon the Pope will speak in a balanced manner that will ease the current hardship experienced by Christians. The presence of Christians and Catholics in Lebanon is actually valued and helps Christians in the Middle East through the media. The free press and Catholic radio broadcasts (like The Voice of Charity), or TV channels (Noorsat, Telelumière) are watched and listened to by the worldwide diaspora in America, Sweden, Germany, and Kuwait. To speak in Lebanon is to speak to all Eastern Christians throughout the world, bringing them the message of the Synod: “Stay in the Middle East - this is where your mission is.”
  
There is only one public university, whose sites are spread across the country: The Lebanese University, founded in 1951. But there are seven Christian colleges: two older ones (American University, founded in 1866, of Protestant origin, and the University of St. Joseph, founded in 1875 by the Jesuits) and five more recent establishments: Kaslik (1962, Baladiti Maronite Monks), Louaize (1987, Mariamite Maronite Monks), Balamand (1988, Greek Orthodox), Antonina (1996, Maronite) and Wisdom (1999, the Maronite Diocese of Beirut). These universities are part of the world of the Lebanese elite, and not limited to Christians. The University of St. Joseph has about 11,000 students, 34% of whom are Muslims.

Some statements by Muslim leaders seem intended to assuage the concerns of the French (and not just the French). The Turkish Premier Erdogan Tayyp, for example, who made it clear that the construction of mosques, and emigration are part of a strategy for the Islamization of Europe. He publicly repeated the words of a Turkish poem, written in 1912 by the Turkish nationalist poet Ziya Gökalp. 

"The mosques are our barracks, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers." 

The Archbishop emeritus of Smirne, Giuseppe Germano Bernardini, recounts a conversation he had with a Muslim leader: "Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you".