French bishops' on a journey of solidarity to a 'vibrant' nation
But as the Archbishop of Reims, warns, its wellspring is "somewhat drying up." From May 8 to 12, a delegation of prelates is on an official visit to the Land of the Cedars. Among the highlights is a stop at the capital's port, scene of the devastating August 2020 explosion. The message of peace for Europe and the world.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - At a time "of perceptible importance in global history, being played out in Lebanon," a delegation from the French Bishops' Conference (CFC), led by its president Msgr. Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, Archbishop of Reims, is on an official visit to Lebanon from May 8-12. The group also includes Msgr. Nicolas Brouwet, bishop of Nîmes, Stanislas Lalanne, bishop of Pontoise, Msgr. Maroun Nasser Gemayel, Maronite bishop of France, Pascal Gollnisch, director general of L'Œuvre d'Orient, as well as Fathers Hugues de Woillemont and Éric Mouterde, secretary general and deputy secretary general of the Cef, respectively.
"The Church of France wishes to see the fruits of the solidarity and generosity of the French people, who stand out in the many social works, in Beirut and throughout the country," the delegation stressed in a note in the days leading up to the visit. "This support," the Ceph statement continued, "to hospitals, assistance to refugees and schools, and volunteer work toward street people are also made possible thanks to the friendship, prayer and donations of hundreds of thousands of Catholics.
During its brief stay, the French Bishops' Conference delegation met with the Eastern Catholic patriarchs in Lebanon, as well as bishops representing the Chaldean and Latin Churches. In addition, the participants were received by the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, as well as France's ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo. Other scheduled events included visits to religious communities and the Palestinian refugee camp of Dbayé, located in a predominantly Christian area on the outskirts of Beirut.
At the port of Beirut
One of the highlights of this stay was a visit (pictured) to the site of the catastrophic August 4, 2020, explosion at Beirut's port in which 220 people died. The delegation went there, discreetly, last May 9 led by Fr. Hani Tawk, a married Maronite priest who runs a soup kitchen in the region that has become popular. In the shadow of the destroyed silos and the sounds of excavators working to dismantle a rusting ship that had been jolted to dry land by the explosion, those present, gathered around a statuette of the Virgin Mary, gathered and prayed for the victims of the terrible tragedy, including port employees and members of a firefighting crew who died while trying to extinguish the fire that broke out in the hangar inside which hundreds of bags containing ammonium nitrate were stored - without any precautions. An open investigation to determine responsibility for the tragedy has yet to yield any results, partly because of political and legal obstacles working to paralyze it.
"I've read articles, I've seen photos about the August 4 catastrophe, but nothing like seeing things up close, with one's own eyes, and realizing what might have been," stressed Msgr. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, archbishop of Reims, at the conclusion of the port visit. "It is one thing to talk about fraternity, it is another to be touched in the flesh about what may have happened there.
"I had," the prelate added, "the opportunity to come to Lebanon in 2004 and 2018. Back then I had seen the square where Rafic Hariri died in an attack; today here is another place of catastrophe. What is impressive about Lebanon is the fact that this country is still alive. However, sometimes it seems that this spring of life is drying up a bit, but our prayer is for Lebanon to regain its desire for life, building and embodying what St. John Paul Ii said about it being a message to the world. There is something important for world history that certainly, today, is being played out here in Lebanon, as it has always been."
In a Sept. 7, 1989 message addressed to Catholic bishops around the world, John Paul II said, "The Church wants to show the world that Lebanon is more than a country: it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for the East and the West!" "The disappearance of Lebanon," the pontiff added, "would undoubtedly be one of the world's great regrets. Its preservation is one of the most urgent and noble tasks that today's world must assume."
Reffering to concern for Europe and the war in Ukraine, Msgr. de Moulins-Beaufort reflecte don teh need to custody historical memory, so as not to forget the war in the Balkans that deeply carred the Old Continent. "That said, the war in Ukraine takes us back to tragic hours," he continues. "It is a war of predation. We have the impression that one people wants to take over another. We thought this approach had disappeared once and for all. Making peace is a great challenge for humanity, but we dare to believe that it is more humane and more humanizing than making war."
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