VATICAN CITY, OCT. 12, 2010 thanks to Zenit.org
Today we began with the synod father’s interventions, which were related to the
theme chosen in “Instrumentum Laboris,” and each spoke for five
minutes. We began with the intervention of the dean of the College of Cardinals,
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who underlined the closeness of the cardinals and
Benedict XVI with the Christians of the East, and with the Middle Eastern
countries, so that they remember that the Church is helping them to face the
challenges in their lives. In reality, these challenges are not faced only by
Christians, but by all citizens in the Mideast, but the impact is more negative
upon Christians.
We spoke of the importance of education in schools, particu larly in Catholic
schools, and of the importance of their mission to be in the midst of societies
that are open to all religions and to contribute, not only in the scientific
education, but also in the moral education. The prefect of the Congregation for
Catholic Education reiterated that the Catholic schools should be open to all
religions so that students can experience life together and build friendships
for a better future.
We also spoke of the diaspora and the importance of the social and pastoral
work so that Christian immigrants from the Arab world continue to conserve
their identity and conserve their belonging to their countries of origin and
their roots, to avoid being lost in the new societies. In addition, we spoke of
life and practical initiatives through which immigrants can help their families
still in the home countries, so that the families can remain there and witness
to their Christianity.
Today, we also emphasized the Church in the Holy Land and the dialogue with
Judaism, with a large separation between Israel as a Jewish political state and
Judaism as a religion so that the church in the Holy Land remains a church of
dialogue, similar to its role with Islam and other societies. The
“Instrumentum Laboris” speaks of an Arab society, an Iranian society,
a Turkish society, and a Jewish society, and that is why the Church cannot
close in upon itself nor close the doors to dialogue. It is very important to
separate between what is political and what is a dialogue of life and cultures
and art, thus building a unified human family. Obviously this helps to diminish
the big political tensions.
After that, the synod fathers discussed the situation of Iraq. There was a call
for solidarity with the Iraqi people in general, and with Iraqi Christians in
particular, so they may reach peace and stability. Here appeals were made to
the leaders in Iraq and to the leaders in the international communit y, to help
build the peace in this suffering country.
The synod fathers asked that the authority of the patriarchs be expanded to
become a personal authority, which means an authority that goes beyond the
geographical limits to reach their flock all over the world. A large number of
our people live outside our countries, and the heads of the Eastern Churches
cannot be their religious father geographically.
Also, the churches of Africa made an appeal and expressed their need for
priests and religious. One of the fathers suggested creating a bank of priests,
priests without borders, priests who have been formed and prepared to help
these dioceses in need of priests for a certain amount of time. This helps all
of us live in communion between the churches and between each other. This is
something that we, for example, are experiencing in the Diocese of Jbeil,
Lebanon. Our priests serve in Nigeria, Benin, Sweden, Romania, Bulgaria, and
other countries around the world.
Dialogue
Another important issue we discussed today is the dialogue with Islam (not the
theological dialogue, but the cultural one). There are many cultural things we
can experience together. Art, sport, social events … and this reminds us of
Father Afif Oseiran, who was a Muslim Shiite, who became a Maronite, and then a
priest, and who used to say, we are not asked to discuss theological matters
with Muslims, we are asked to love Muslims. Our Christian mission is in living
this love toward everyone and especially in our world of the Middle East.
We discussed the term “positive secularism” that is mentioned in the
synodal texts and the fathers agree that this expression is not viewed well,
and that it is better to use the expression also Muslims prefer, “civil
state” instead. This diminishes the negative effect of the word secularism
in the Muslim environment. Muslims see secularism in a negative light.
< br />Today we also encouraged the importance of education in school and
at home because our youth are suffering from a society filled with corruption,
and that is why it is important to emphasize the first school, which is the
home.
Work in societies with a Muslim majority is also one of the issues we
discussed. Christians in those societies feel like strangers, and often they
were in the country before Islam! Here I speak about the Middle Eastern
countries where, in some of them, Christians feel like second-class citizens.
Therefore, that is why the synod wants to remind the international community
and the local authorities that Christians are citizens who have the right to
equal rights and duties with their Muslim brothers.
Muslims are asked to trust Christians and Christians are asked to not close in
on themselves. We are a community that wants to keep witnessing to the
incarnation in order to build bridges between everyone. This is not an encourag
ement; this is, rather, awareness. Awareness of our vocation and mission in the
societies where Providence put us, and as long as the hand of God is with us we
can face all the difficulties and challenges with joy and generosity.
These were the themes of the day and I would like to remind you and remind all
those who are listening, reading, and watching, that every day we leave the
synod hall, we leave with more courage and more hope and joy, as if we are
emerging from a new Pentecost. The synod is truly a new Pentecost within the
churches of the Middle East.
Bishop Béchara Raï is the Catholic Maronite bishop of Jbeil, Lebanon, and the
president of the episcopal commission for communications in Lebanon. He is
currently a participant in the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the
Synod of Bishops, and is writing a daily briefing for ZENIT’s Arabic edition.