MIDDLE EAST Kisrawan, young Christians (and Muslims) united around the theme of fraternity

The Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne (JEC), with the coordination of the organization in the Middle East, promoted a two-day seminar, the first post-Covid face-to-face event. The work focused on the encyclical “Fratelli tutti” and the Abu Dhabi Document on Fraternity. The explosion in the port of Beirut and the murder of the Palestinian journalist are occasions for unity and “fusion” between different communities.

Beirut () – The regional coordination of the Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne (JEC) of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt has recently relaunched its activities in the post-Covid era, organizing a two-day meeting in the Kisrawan district, in Lebanon, on August 23 and 24. A quote intended to guide more effectively on the content of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” (All Brothers, 2020) on fraternity and friendship, as well as the 2019 Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity. The event was attended by 36 girls and boys, two of them Muslims from the Adyan Foundation of Lebanon, who attended the sessions.

Now, how can one live being “all brothers”, according to the motto of San Francisco, in this time of predators and wolves? “Fraternity is the challenge of this time,” says Father Joseph Salloum, a Maronite priest and chaplain of the JEC of the Middle East. The priest says that two permanent members of the movement, Innocent Odongo (Uganda) and Roy Ibrahim (Lebanon), participated in the session as part of a broader framework of training at the central headquarters in Paris.

a strong moment

Lebanese coexistence, which John Paul II pointed to as a model of human relations, in both a social and political context, emerged strongly in one of the most significant moments of the sessions. It was during the testimony of Ziad Fahed, a university professor. It is a true story, which may well serve as a modern parable. It happened in Qalamoun, on the north coast of Lebanon, in the middle of the civil war. One winter day, a man from the region goes fishing. He is in a boat, knowing that on days when there is little fog, fish abound. He suddenly hears screaming and, to his surprise, sees three children, apparently under the age of 10, and a dog, drifting aboard a makeshift raft. They are hungry, for they have not touched food for three days. He rescues them and takes them with him.

The story becomes known in public opinion. We are going through a time of kidnappings and, according to some, the occasion should be used to reach an agreement to exchange hostages. However, for this modest Lebanese fisherman, upright and incorruptible, the laws of hospitality are sacred. Finally, thanks to the Lebanese Red Cross, the children are returned to their parents, who had taken them to a beach in Beirut and thought they had lost them forever, swept away by the current of the sea. Today, the son of this man, Sheikh Firas Ballout, after seeing his father behave like this, is one of the main protagonists of the dialogue between cultures and religions in Tripoli. This clear story lends itself well to summarizing the session: “Who is my neighbor?” they ask Jesus, who responds by quoting the parable of the Good Samaritan: “my neighbor is any man I approach”, and then adds: “Go and do the same”.

Is this code applicable?

But getting to the heart of the matter, is this code applicable in a torn Middle East or in a Palestine where its people are at the mercy of bullets? Aren’t we facing an optimism that borders on naivety? The catastrophic explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, which triggered an unprecedented solidarity movement among young people, and the murder of the Palestinian Christian journalist Shirine Abou Aqleh (last May) are presented as models of unity, to the extent that they helped Lebanese and Palestinians of all faiths to “merge”. To react as a single people, in the face of the misfortunes that affect them.

“It is all of Palestine that buried Shirine Abou Aqleh,” says Raffy, a Palestinian, who recalls how the whole world witnessed the brutality of the Israeli police, who were about to overturn the journalist’s coffin, trying for all the means of preventing their removal in a procession.

an international movement

Founded in France in the 1910s, the international movement Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne (JEC) is aimed at young people, high school and university students, believers or not, who share humanistic and Christian values. They are encouraged to open up to the world around them according to the “See, Judge, Act” approach. Recognized by the Holy See, the JEC has an operational status in UNESCO. Present in 86 countries, it has some 600 members in the parishes of Beirut, Saida and Zahlé.

A difficult learning experience

Over two days, some thirty young people were able to listen to witnesses, professors, theologians and politicians who spoke to them about the difficult learning of the concept of fraternity, in a regional context that was still tense.

The first day was dedicated to the encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” and the Document on Human Fraternity, presented by Roula Talhouq, professor at the Institute of Religious Sciences of the USJ, and Father Tony Khoury. The afternoon was marked by the testimonies of Raymond Nader, a former exponent of the Lebanese Forces whose spiritual journey passes through the Annaya convent and the tomb of Saint Charbel. And also by Ziad Fahed, professor at the University of Louaizé, admirer of Brother Roger de Taizé. Both, profoundly changed by the effects of the civil war (1975-90).

The second day was more didactic, with more classic presentations on coexistence, by Christian and Muslim theologians: Fr. Elie Haddad, Sheikhs Hussein Ali el-Amine and Mohammad Nokkari, as well as established political figures such as former minister Ibrahim Chamseddine and MP Adib Abdel Massih (Koura), and emerging leaders such as Mira Neaimeh (Middle East Council of Churches) and Nijad Charafeddine, nephew of Imam Moussa Sadr of Beirut, Saida and Zahlé.