Kisrawan, Christian (and Muslim) youth united on the theme of brotherhood

Beirut (AsiaNews) - 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 work event in Lebanon's Kisrawan district on Aug. 23-24.

It was an event aimed at targeting more effectively the dictates of Pope Francis' "Brothers All" (2020) encyclical on fraternity and friendship, as well as the 2019 Abu Dhabi Document on Human Brotherhood. The event was joined by 36 boys and girls, two from the Muslim faith who came from the Lebanese Adyan Foundation, who attended the sessions.

However, how can one live as "Brothers All," according to the motto of St. Francis, in this time characterized by predators and wolves? "Fraternity is the challenge of this time," assures Fr. Joseph Salloum, Maronite priest and chaplain of Jec-Moyen-Orient.

He frames the session held with two permanent members of the movement, Innocent Odongo (Uganda) and Roy Ibrahim (Lebanon), in a larger framework of formation at the Paris headquarters.

A powerful moment

The Lebanese conviviality pointed out by John Paul II as a model of human relations, in a context as much social as political, emerged strongly in one of the most significant moments of the sessions: during the testimony of Ziad Fahed, a university lecturer. This is a true story, which may well serve as a modern parable. It happened in Qalamoun, on the coast of North Lebanon, at the height of the civil war.

One winter day, a man from the region goes out to fish. He is in a boat, knowing that on days of light mist, fish abound. Suddenly he hears shouting and, to his utter surprise, he spots three children with apparent ages of less than 10 and a dog, drifting aboard a makeshift raft. They are hungry, as they have not touched food for three days. He retrieves them and takes them with him.

The story becomes common knowledge. We are in the midst of kidnapping, and, according to some, this opportunity should have been used to strike a deal aimed at hostage exchange. However, for this modest Lebanese fisherman, all of a piece 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 Beirut beach and thought they had lost them forever, swept away by a sea current.

Today, this man's son, Sheikh Firas Ballout, having seen his father behave in this way, is one of the main protagonists of the dialogue between cultures and religions in Tripoli. This story, so clear, lends itself well to summarizing the session: "Who is my neighbor?" is asked of Jesus, who responds in essence by quoting the parable of the Good Samaritan: my neighbor is any man whose neighbor I make myself, before adding, "Go, and you do likewise."

An enforceable code?

But, to get to the bottom of the matter, is this code applicable in a torn Middle East or in a Palestine where its people are left at the mercy of bullets? Are we not faced with an optimism that borders on naiveté?

The catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, which sparked an unprecedented solidarity movement among young people, and the murder of Palestinian Christian journalist Shirine Abou Aqleh (last May) are proposed as models of unity, insofar as they helped Lebanese and Palestinians of all denominations to "merge." To react as one people in the face of the misfortunes that have befallen them.

"It is the whole of Palestine that buried Shirine Abou Aqleh," points out Raffy, a Palestinian, who recalls how everyone saw the brutality of the Israeli police who almost toppled the journalist's coffin, trying hard to prevent it from being carried in the procession.

An international movement

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

A difficult lesson to learn

The 30 or so young people in attendance were able to hear, over the course of the two days, witnesses, teachers, theologians and politicians speak to them about the difficult learning of the concept of fraternity in a regional context that remains tense.

The first day was devoted to the "Brothers All" encyclical and the Human Brotherhood Document presented by Roula Talhouq, professor at the Usj Institute of Religious Sciences, and Fr. Tony Khoury. The afternoon featured testimonies by Raymond Nader, former Lebanese Forces member whose spiritual journey passes through Annaya Convent and the tomb of St. Charbel. And again by Ziad Fahed, professor at the University of Louaizé and 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 classic presentations on coexistence made 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), as well as emerging leaders such as Mira Neaimeh (Middle East Council of Churches) and Nijad Charafeddine, grandson of Imam Moussa Sadr of Beirut, Saida and Zahlé.

by Fady Noun
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