The announcement of the truce comes via social media. Trump announces it from midnight (Lebanon time) between April 16 and 17. In the South the explosions can still be heard. Beirut awaits.
“In the meantime we are here”, says Brother Elias Paolo Marswanian, father custodian of the convent of Saint Francis of Assisi in Zahle, in the Beqaa valley30 kilometers from the border with Syria. He sees the refugees continue to increase and, even if the convent was not involved, he has heard the missiles getting closer and closer in recent days. “Many families return from Syria, especially the Shiites, because they don’t feel safe there.” On the border Hezbollah is a shield against ISIS which has threatened the territory several times. The borders are closed, the roads, especially the mountain ones, are controlled by the Syrian government. Coexistence between Alawites, Sunnis and Shiites is difficult. There is so much fear that still exists even among Christians. “The situation in Lebanon is more complex than what one sees from the outside”, adds the friar. Who immediately adds: «God, however, has nothing to do with the war. His commandment is “thou shalt not kill”. And even if «here in the Middle East religion is a very important, very strong thing and everyone tries to get God on their side by using his name, this way peace will not be achieved. As the Pope says God does not like war and he cannot be used as an excuse to kill and destroy.”
What can the role of Christians be in this moment?
«Living the Gospel. First of all, do what Jesus says: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was in prison, you came to visit me. Today we find ourselves in the situation of giving food and drink, treating wounds, welcoming those who have escaped from wars and taken refuge in Christian areas. We have opened schools and convents because we have the duty to help those in need. And then we pray.”
Did you also hold the prayer vigil at the same time as the Pope’s?
“Yes. In all the churches, accepting the Pope’s invitation, we held a moment of prayer for peace in the world, and especially in the Middle East. We experience this war with suffering even when we are in safer areas and we take strength to face this dramatic situation from the Easter just celebrated, from the resurrection of Christ.”
The Israeli government has asked the Christian villages in the south to expel the Muslims. Is this becoming a religious war?
«No, but it is clear that in this way hatred is sown. Even with the death of many Christians in Beirut, under the bombings justified by the presence of Hezbollah. The Israeli government perhaps thinks it has an advantage from a civil war. But we have already been through this and I don’t think we will fall into this trap.”
Christians pray. But does prayer really have strength?
«Jesus said it in the Gospel: “Pray, always pray”. And so even when I think about what I can do as a friar at this moment in my community I think that I can pray. I don’t have the power to talk to Trump or Netanyahu, or Iran or Hezbollah. But I can pray. And thus stop the resentment, the hatred within me. Peace comes when hearts are pacified. This is why prayer is a strength.”
President Aoun has said he will not allow weapons to be brought into Beirut. Is it feasible or is it just a hope?
«This is an important decision but it will take time. We will get there, but it will not be easy to disarm a party that has had arms for 40 years.”
Do you have hope that peace can really come?
«We have hope. This is the only path that can be followed today. We cannot gain anything by force. We also have the example of Gaza before us. We know that force and war do not bear fruit. Sooner or later peace will have to come.”
John Paul II defined Lebanon as a message and even Pope Leo when he was recently indicated Lebanon as a model of coexistence, a mosaic of peace. How important is Lebanon in the context of the Middle East?
«We see a country where you can live your faith in freedom. And they are not just proclamations, but facts. We are mixed. THERE are villages, buildings, neighborhoods where there are both Christians and Muslims. There are also mixed families. We Christians have many Muslim friends and Muslims consider us friends. In the end we are all Lebanese. And everyone celebrates with the others. The Muslims wished us best wishes for Easter and us for the end of Ramadan. For us it’s normal. It is the adults who play to divide us, but the population is not like that. This is why both John Paul II and Pope Leo reiterated that this country is an example. An example for the whole world that living together is possible. We witness it every day. We ring the bells, we listen to their speaking prayer and no one cares what the other does. Indeed, there is a profound respect.”
Are there also places of worship that you frequent together?
“Certain. There is the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon. It’s a place for everything. We are the only country in the world that has March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, as a national holiday. On that day the shops are closed and, every year, on this occasion, we hold Islamic-Christian meetings to talk about the Madonna, both that of the Gospel and that of the Koran. I have participated in these moments many times and I have seen the beauty of being together and of talking about Mary, each from his own point of view.”
Are there many pilgrimages to San Charbel in this period?
«Yes, Saint Charbel is the first Lebanese saint and the most beautiful thing is that he does not divide who is Muslim and who is Christian. When you get there you see many women with headscarves, Muslims, who pray for a miracle and, when they get it, give testimony. He is a saint who unites.”
What do you hope for Lebanon?
«May he rise again. May this black veil that is covering us and that prevents us from living in peace and tranquility be removed. May the history of Lebanon be rediscovered. The alphabet was born in us, the Phoenicians were here, Jesus was in Tire and Sidon, we have the cedar which is mentioned in the Old Testament. This country is blessed by the Lord, it is a Holy Land and I hope that, precisely for this reason, it will once again become a land of peace.”
Israel has called the operation against Lebanon eternal darkness. What do you think?
«Every time Israel does something against Lebanon it gives a title to the war. This time they talk about darkness, but we know very well that Jesus defeated death and Jesus defeated the evil in the world. This is why trust and our faith are stronger than darkness, and peace is stronger than war. Even if we don’t know how long it will last, surely in the end the one who will win is the Lord, because He told us that I am with you until the end of the world. Then if the Lord is with us, the Lord of peace, the Lord of life who did not die, but who rose again, surely darkness or evil will not have the last word.”
