LEBANON From the plague to the presidential crisis, Corpus Christi to heal Lebanese wounds

The celebrations in Zalhé, a Christian center in the Bekaa, an opportunity to talk again about the crisis that is plaguing the country. For Christians (and non-Christians) in Lebanon, the presidential vacuum (since October 20222) is worse than the plague. It compromises the “political entity” itself, as the Greek Catholic archbishop emphasizes. The rediscovery of faith in the face of the tendency towards secularization.

Beirut () – “With the fervor of the first days, we pray that God heals our beloved country from a disease even more evil than the plague, a disease that is corroding its entity and its unique formula.” This is the cry of alarm launched yesterday by the Greek-Catholic archbishop of Zahlé, Monsignor Ibrahim Ibrahim, on the occasion of the festival of Corpus Christi, solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. An anniversary that the important Christian center has proudly commemorated since 1825, the year in which a procession of the Blessed Sacrament miraculously saved Zahlé from a very serious plague epidemic.

Chance has it that this cry echoes – albeit involuntarily – the warning issued the same day by Jean-Yves Le Drian, President Emmanuel Macron’s envoy to Lebanon, at the end of another failed mediation: if a head of State as soon as possible, it could be “the end of political Lebanon”, declared the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, while recalling that the country of cedars has been without a president since the end of Michel Aoun’s mandate, in October 2022. Addressing the faithful gathered in front of the seraglio building, Monsignor Ibrahim stressed that the lack of a head of state compromises not only a position that remains vacant, creating a vacuum, but “the entire Christian presence in Lebanon” and “destiny.” of the homeland itself.

In this regard, the prelate added that “we must consider it a national duty to provide our unwavering support to the Lebanese army and security forces as an irreplaceable instrument of internal security and stability.” In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the army commander, General Joseph Aoun, is one of the three serious candidates for the presidential elections.

The Archbishop of Zahlé also defended the principle of intangibility of bank deposits and the condemnation of those mainly responsible for this sectoral crisis. Next, he asked for an equitable distribution of high state positions among all communities. [cristianos, chiíes, suníes, drusos] and demanded that Corpus Christi “be officially proclaimed a holiday in Zahlé.”

Significant historical event

The capital of the Bekaa, with its 52 churches, has been considered a “Eucharistic city” since two centuries ago (1825), “advised by a dream”, the then archbishop Aghnatios Ajoury, managed to organize a procession of the Blessed Sacrament. An event that traveled through the streets of the city, saving it from a plague epidemic that was ravaging the region at the time.

“This miracle is a historic event that left its mark on the general consciousness of the population,” explains Georges Okaïs, Greek-Catholic deputy and local member of the Lebanese Forces. The party – adds the politician – is part of our spiritual heritage. Without it, Zahlé would lose its identity.

Founded in the 18th century, the city has always had its own personality. With its 120,000 inhabitants, it is the largest purely Christian city in the Arab world. Located on the edge of the Bekaa Plain, its importance grew in the 18th century, when it became a railway junction and an important commercial center for goods and agricultural products between Beirut, Damascus and the interior of the country. Throughout history, the Greek Catholic bishop of Zahlé has traditionally played a unifying role. Linked to the great families of the area, he has always had a say in business and affairs related to the city, in addition to being the head of the Church.

The Corpus Christi of Zahlé is characterized by separate processions of all the churches present, both Catholic and Orthodox, something unique in Lebanon. From dawn, these processions converge towards the city seraglio, before uniting and deploying their monstrances through the neighborhoods to the joy of the faithful of all ages, who come individually or in organized groups. There is no shortage of brotherhoods, schools, scout groups, Cáritas volunteers, neighborhood music bands, etc., as well as neighbors who wait – dressed to the nines – for the processions to pass under their balconies or next to their resting places.

The day begins at dawn and concludes at the end of the ceremony, around noon, in an atmosphere of joy and celebration, with its devotional charge. Finally, the solemn mass takes place, which is followed, for those who are still fasting since the morning, by the first coffee. The service is broadcast live on its social channels by Zahlé TV and is closely followed by the large Greek-Catholic diasporas of Brazil and Canada, in an event that unites the inhabitants of Lebanon with expatriates and overseas emigrants from all over the world. world.

“Belonging means following in the footsteps of those who came before us, creating our own history and forging our own identity,” says Névine Hajj-Chahine, a historian married to a large landowner in the area. Somewhere – adds this Christian scholar – in this dominant tendency towards secularization, we realize that the world is once again ordered according to a higher order, and that seems wonderful to me.