Vicar of Arabia: from Gaza to Damascus, a region ‘on hold’ between new leaders and old tensions
Bishop Berardi spoke to AsiaNews about various topics, from politics and the Jubilee and the Church and the societies of the Gulf. The rise of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in Syria (and Assad’s ouster) and the presidential election in Lebanon are a sign of Saudi strength and Iranian weakness. “Ambiguities" surround Palestinian "martyrs". Christians are witnesses of hope, contributing to the development of local societies.
Milan (AsiaNews) – Now that Syria is under Abu Mohammed al-Jolani and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a group once affiliated with the al-Nusra front (formerly al-Qaeda)), Gulf and Western leaders are wondering what their first moves will be, sporting a “wait-and-see” attitude, this according to Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of northern Arabia.
Appointed to the vicariate two years ago, the former vicar general of the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives spoke to AsiaNews about the group’s sudden and unexpected rise, capable of overthrowing the decades-old Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“Certainly, Saudi Arabia is one of the first to back this new course and is the one that seems to emerge with greater strength" in an uncertain situation, with another win with “the election of Joseph Aoun as president in Lebanon".
A region on hold
"You can't separate events in Syria with what happened in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. Everything is connected, from the shock caused by the Hamas attack to the brutal response" by the Jewish state, which is "exaggerated and unacceptable" for the population, who "are suffering from this conflict".
“Assad’s fall has been seen as a positive development” in the Gulf monarchies, because it marks another setback for Iran, whose regional allies have been weakened, from Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the differences between Sunnis and Shias, who represent the majority in countries such as Bahrain.
Lebanon is one of the hotspots, where a political crisis of more than two years ended recently, with the head of the armed forces elected president.
Christians in the Gulf have followed events in this country “without a head of state for a long time, attacked by Israel that had occupied the south” as well as “the destruction of churches and villages" in what was seen as a “terrible aggression”.
Then there is Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian movement, whose weakening is seen favourably by large sectors of society. For the prelate, “a weak Hezbollah means a weak Iran, which, in some way, made it possible to unblock" the Lebanese stalemate.
These developments are hard to analyse, especially because of cleavages in Lebanese society between one segment that defends the Palestinians and leaders who “try to act as moderates" by safeguarding relations with Israel in the first place, especially at the economic level.
If the Jewish state "continues to attack Gaza and suffocate the local population,” it will be difficult to establish full relations on the backs of “Palestinian martyrs, which is how they are referred to”.
At the same time, it is necessary to highlight an attitude of "ambiguity" because, while the tragedy of Gaza is on everybody’s lips, nothing is done at the political and diplomatic levels to address the issue, effectively leaving Gazans to their martyrdom.
Saudi Arabia does not want them, Egypt has closed its borders, Jordan already has many Palestinians like Lebanon, and Syria cannot be considered.
Riyadh, Tehran and the forces of dialogue
One of the most interesting factors is the Riyadh-Tehran connection. In recent years, the two countries resumed relations after years of high tensions in the wake of the attack against the Saudi consulate in Iran, following the execution of a Shia leader, Nimr al-Nimr.
This row spilled over at the regional level, with Qatar being isolated (until early 2021) for its close ties to Iran.
“Here too we have to wait," notes the 61-year-old apostolic vicar, "because it is too early to understand what is going on. Iran is weaker, with domestic woes and without the support of Iraq, while the encirclement of Saudi Arabia by Hezbollah, Houthis, Shias in Bahrain, and Assad's Syria has failed.
Today the common "enemy", at least on paper, is Israel to defend the Palestinians, at least rhetorically, but one cannot exclude that someone will try to exploit “Iran’s current weakness”.
This comes at a time when US President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House. For the vicar, he “will definitely [and soon] come to the region, as he did before to mend fences with Riyadh after the years of crisis with his predecessor Barack Obama.”
The potential for dialogue is not limited to politics; it is of great importance for Catholics, and Christians more generally, in a region with a very large Muslim majority.
“In the north we do not have the Abrahamic House (like in Abu Dhabi), but in Bahrain dialogue between faiths has been taking place for some time, promoted by the ruler himself, who wrote a piece on coexistence.”.
The kingdom has been an example of living together for centuries. In fact, “the first Hindu temple is 200 years old. The first church was built 75 years ago. There is also a Buddhist temple, a Sikh temple, and various Protestant and Orthodox places of worship, a sign that there is room for other faiths.”
Things are different in Qatar, “more formal". There is a centre for dialogue "but it concerns only Christians, Muslims and Jews", while in Kuwait "there are no official entities", only underground activities and initiatives.
The future of the vicariate
The vicariate has jurisdiction in four countries in the Arabian Peninsula – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – each with its own levels of social, political and religious freedoms. In Saudi Arabia, no form of worship other than Islam is allowed but there is a minute Catholic presence.
In 2020, at the death of the previous vicar, Bishop Camillo Ballin, the Vicar of southern Arabia Bishop Paul Hinder (now resigned) was appointed apostolic administrator. This region is home to almost 2.8 million Catholics out of a population of 43 million.
The territory is divided into 11 parishes, with headquarters in Awali, Bahrain, where the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia stands. The community is made up largely of economic migrants from Asia, in particular India, following different rites like the Syro-Malabars to whom Pope Francis granted jurisdiction over those who are in the Middle East for work.
Over the past two years, Bishop Berardi visited all the parishes "to understand the needs and requirements" of each; thus, “now I have a more detailed view of what is needed.”
A list of priorities will be developed starting from three main points.
The first one is administration, which includes relations with governments and the Church’s legal status since "ambiguities about our presence" persist.
The second is about Church to free it from "devotionism" and enhance education, catechism and outreach to the laity with the contribution of those responsible "at vicariate-wide level, not limited to single countries.”
Finally, there is need for a "more efficient and effective" presence in the region to enhance the history of the local Church, old and new, counting on the promotion of experiences and initiatives during the Jubilee of Saint Aretas, a time of communion and encounter between the two vicariates of Arabia.
“The Jubilee of Hope is placed in continuity,” said Bishop Berardi, to strengthen "communion with the universal Church. We must be witnesses of hope, accompany society in the different countries and promote their spiritual development, after contributing to their economic well-being.”
This means “renewing the challenge of evangelisation, not with words, but with our lives and deeds, as well as unity with the different rites in the various languages, with the bishop playing a central role, always attentive to the needs of all communities.”
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16/10/2023 20:53
