“The rebels brought the war into people’s houses. That is their strategy!”

This is a full transcript, in the original English, of my recent interview with His Beatitude Patriarch Gregory III of the Melkite Church. The news reports, in Portuguese are here and here.

Esta é uma transcrição integral, no inglês original, da minha recente entrevista a Sua Beatitude o Patriarca Gregório III da Igreja Melquita. As reportagens estão aqui e aqui.

You were telling me that the other day on your trip to Lebanon there were only four checkpoints, whereas before there would be 12. Is the situation in Syria improving?

The first big tragedy was in Homs. Now it is peaceful in Homs and the people have returned there. They are reconstructing their churches in Homs, in Yabroud, in Qusayr, in Nabek. This is positive.

Around Damascus there are still battles. My home town Darayya has now been liberated, but was totally destroyed, including two churches and all our people's houses.

Maaloula also has been liberated and the people, most of them, returned. We have about 125 or 130 families back and we are building for them not the whole house, but one room per family, which means that they can be at home even in a small place, without having to pay rent.

Damascus itself was always peaceful, but you had daily rocket attacks, sometimes hundreds of rockets per day, killing, destroying, it depends. But despite that, life goes on.

Just today [21st of October], we had rockets and our Cathedral was hit. Not much damage, just a little. This was the fifth time our Patriarchate in Damascus was hit by a bomb, but despite this we remain.

Now the big problem is in the North of Syria and in Aleppo, which means the border to Turkey and Iraq and to Jordan are closed now. This tells you where the belligerants are coming from, from Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, but because Iraq is weak now, and not under the control of the Government. This geographical description shows us how the war is. The war is against Syria, in Syria. The Holy Father said there is a third world war going on.

Now the worst problem is in Aleppo. We had a meeting of bishops of Aleppo, we wanted to have it in Aleppo, but because of the situation we were obliged to have it in Damascus. They told us that there used to be four million people in Aleppo and now there are one million. The others are displaced, not necessarily outside of Syria. There were 150 thousand Christians in Aleppo, but now there are maybe 30 thousand.

All the churches of the different communities are destroyed, more or less. The people are in need of food, light, water... But they are still there.

Around Damascus there are belligerants, but the army is advancing slowly.

Now our problem is really how to get people to stay at home. Emigration is the biggest danger for the Church in the Middle East, not only in Syria. Syria, Lebanon are all under this influence, even Jordan. In Iraq, from around 1 million, or perhaps 800 thousand, the Christian population is only around 350 thousand now. In all of Syria, 55 thousand Christians displaced, inside or outside Syria, 50% of doctors are out. This is hemmorhaging of the Syrian society, Christians and Muslims alike.

The future of Syria is very problematic. You have around three million children without schools, these are the clients for ISIS in the future. That is why we are very keen to work for the children in Syria, in the schools, and to rebuild schools. My own school was destroyed, two thousand children were left with nowhere to go. Everything was stolen.

This is a very big tragedy, but in spite of this we have so much hope. You can't believe how the people are crowded in the churches, especially for Lent. Every day our churches are full. We have youth movements; our congregations, women, men, young people, are filling our churches with social and pastoral activities. I don't understand how the people react this way. Inspite of the fear and the imigration, this is a complex situation of hope, of power, generosity, fidelity, trust in the Lord and in the future.

Darayya

Obviously the whole world is watching Aleppo and there have been many accusations against Russia and the regime because of the bombings. People are calling for a ceasefire...

First of all, the Church is for reconciliation. Already I wrote a letter in 2013 saying that the only way for the future of Syria and the church is reconciliation. So we are apostles for reconciliation, for peace, for dialogue, for reconciliaiton inside the society, not only for belligerants. This is our situation, our position.

We are also working with the children. We had an initiative to gather 1.2 million signatures of children for peace, an 8 meter long sheet with words of children for peace. We went with all of these documents to the European Union in Brussels and Geneva, to speak abou the future, we were the messengers of the children.

So this is the real situation and position of the Church, rather of the Churches! We have three Patriarchs in Damascus. Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and myself, and several bishops in Syria. All of them have a common vision regarding the situation, the government, the complot of this war, and so on.

For example, Darayya, which now has been liberated but is destroyed, before the destruction the people were happy, working, developed, and everything. A rebel group entered and made life impossible. They subdued the civilians; the civilians were under their control. Who has the responsibility to save these people? Who is responsible for the citizens? If the rebels are taking my house, who will kick them out?

The Government might destroy my house... This is what happened to a house of my relatives*. It was destroyed because a family came from outside and they rented a house near him. But it was an arsenal for weapons. The government shelled the house, and the house of my relatives was destroyed.

The same happened with churches. When the belligerants came to Homs, in the midst of the Old City of Homs, where the churches are, they turned the churches into their strongholds... What to do? So you can say that most of the churches were destroyed by the government. But why? Because they were no longer used as churches!

Monastic life in Aleppo

For example, the very famous monastery of St. Bachus and Sergius, in Maaloula, it was a central stronghold for the revolutionaries, the belligerants and for ISIS. What to do? The belligerants brought the whole war into the houses, in the old city, that is their strategy and that is the problem. Why, in Europe, are they blind to say that the government is targeting these structures? Yes, its true, but why? I can say this from my own experience, the same is happening in Aleppo now.

The civillians in the rebel held area of Aleppo, are they being used as human shields?

All of them! This is the whole strategy in the whole five years of war. Starting with Homs, Maaloula, my own town Darayya, the people were taken as shields to defend the rebels. That is why the civillians were killed. They were not allowed to go. Just like in Mossul now, not even the priests were allowed to go. They had to be there in order for the Government not to shell.

Now they can ask for ceasefires, but what to do next?

Would a ceasefire just drag this situation on? Would the best solution be for the Government to end the siege as quickly as possible, by taking the rest of the city?

A ceasefire is always an act of mercy. We are in the mercy of God. Everything in life is compromise. Even relations between husband and wife are about compromise. The same here with your enemies, you have to have compromises to protect the lives of the civillians. We have to think about that.

The policy of the church is to alleviate as much as posisble this very harsh time of the civillians.

Russia is seen by many Western countries as being part of the problem, criminals bombing civillians. When I speak to Christians from Syria they always have a very different idea of the Russians. What is your view of the Russian involvement?

If I am in danger, and you come to help me, can you help me without me? Without my consent? Without my advice? Without my collaboration?

Please, USA, come and fight! But with Syria and with Russia.

Let’s not do politics. Let’s speak in a simple way, like simple people. Come together Russia and America. Together. The European Union is no longer important, a shame, but the truth. If the USA and Russia came together with Syria in one month's time ISIS would be overcome. I am sure.

What is ISIS? It is a myth. It is an instrument of evil. Of a battle of interests. That is ISIS. It is nothing, not Islam, nothing at all!

Now Syria has become a supermarket for superpowers. Where are these interests? In Russia and in America. If they are ok and have common consent about their interests, where their respective profits lie, the war will end.

Everything is an instrument. Even the fighting between Shiites and Sunnis is historical, but now it is an instrument. Even the killing of Christians is an instrument. Nothing to do with the so called goal of the revolution. What can anybody in Syria bring that is different from what was already done? It was not too bad, not too good, but it was enough.

Who can build something new? The so called opposition are from the same school as the ones who are there. So they can bring nothing, nothing can be brought.

Reconciliation. Together, America, Russia and Syria can bring forth ceasefire and peace and also the renewal of Syria. We have to be renewed, we have to present a vision. You can't end the war without vision. Russia and América can end this, but they have to have a vision for Syria, and with Syria.

I am not for Assad or for the regime; I am for Syria, which is a key society in the Middle East. Not Lebanon, not Jordan, not Egypt, not Iraq, it is the most important place where Christians are a little group, but living in a cohesive society.

You have been criticized by leading figures in your own Church. Several bishops have called for your resignation. Is resignation an option?

I am for the cannon law, which says that the Patriarchal See is vacant upon the death of the Patriarch or by his own resignation. I like to tell my bishops "I love you. Let us love eachother so that we can confess, love, and serve our Church and make it a symbol of testimony for the Lord in this tragic situation for the whole Christian Middle East"

Can you imagine a situation where you would resign in the future? Or do you prefer to die in your post, as is traditional among Eastern Patriarchs?

That is up to God. I can't answer you, because I don't have that power. Let's just say that I am here for the service of the Church and the future is in the hands of God.

Patriarchs Laham, Shevchuk, Clemente and caridnal Sandri

You are a special guest at the meeting of European Eastern Catholic bishops, who are discussing the pastoral care of migrants in the West. Have you come here to learn from them, or to share your own experience?

I was invited by them, especially by the Ukrainian Church, because I was in Lviv in September, in the synod of the Ukrainian Church and they told me about this meeting and invited me, and I was happy to come.

I am very happy to have come because it very important learn and to give our own experience and especially our own vision of the very tragic situation of emigration.

Emigration, for us, is very important, very problematic. It is very problemetic for Christians in Europe and for Muslims in Europe, and in encountering a region which is no longer a Christian Europe, but an area of globalisation, an area of Laicité, and in some respects atheist. This is a very big danger, more dangerous and more acute than the whole war in Syria.

I tell you the result of the war, migration of Christians and of Muslims, from both sides, it is a bigger danger and more harmful for the world than the war in Syria. Therefore I proposed, today to bring this theme of the results and dangers of the emigration of Christians from the Middle East, both for the Middle East and for them in Europe, and for the Muslims from the Middle East and in Europe.

For me it is a very current and urgent to have a special assembly of the bishops conferences of Europe about this theme. Europe is not prepared to have such a tsunami of migrants, both Christians and Muslims. How to cope with Muslims and Christians coming with their own identity. Islam has a different approach that Christians in Europe. That is a very big danger for...

*His Beatitude here used the word “parents”, but considering his age, and the fact that the word Parent in Latin languages actually means relative rather “mother and father”, I have changed it to relative. 

This is the second time I interview His Beatitude. You can read the first interview, from November 2014, here.

Papa quer Converter o Papado

A irmã Annie, em Aleppo

O Papa Francisco quere a “conversão do papado” e mais colegialidade na Igreja e disse-o no sábado, em pleno sínodo sobre a família. Palavras revolucionárias? Veremos.

O sínodo entrou esta segunda-feira na recta final, e esse facto é aqui analisado por Aura Miguel. Esta tarde esteve na conferência de imprensa o patriarca Fouad Twal, de Jerusalém, que recordou que para os seus fiéis nem sequer existe casamento civil, pelo que a questão de acesso aos sacramentos é simplesmente uma não-questão.

A Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa condena os ataques que têm sido levados a cabo por civis em Israel.

A guerra na Síria destruiu quase tudo, mas não a fé dos cristãos. Quem o diz é a irmã Annie Demarjian, que esteve em Lisboa a semana passada. Aqui pode ler a entrevista desta freira de Alepo na íntegra, em inglês.

Entretanto durante o fim-de-semana foi canonizado um casal, pais de Santa Teresinha.

Por fim, se é solteiro/a e quer conhecer a sua cara-metade mas não sabe como, este casal está disposto a ajudar… Aqui encontra a transcrição completa da entrevista a António e Marta Pimenta de Brito.

“The war in Syria has made our faith stronger”

This is a full transcript of the interview with Sr. Annie Demarjian, a Syrian nun who was recently in Portugal at the invitation of the local branch of Aid to the Church in Need. The news report, in Portuguese, can be found here.

Transcrição integral da entrevista à irmã Annie Demarjian, uma freira síria que esteve recentemente em Portugal a convite da Ajuda à Igreja que Sofre. A reportagem está aqui.

Could you explain to us where you live and work you do?

I am Sister Annie Demerjian, from Syria, with the Sisters of Jesus and Mary.

We have been working in Aleppo since 2004.

Who do mostly work with?

We are working with a school, with the school of the Greek-Catholic Diocese, my sisters and myself, and when the war started we also started doing emergency work with families.

Are you from Aleppo?

No, I am from Damascus, but my mission was in Aleppo.

Do you still have family in Damascus?

Yes.

You have been in Aleppo since 2004. How much has life changed since the beginning of the war?

Since the war began, the situation of displacement within the country, mass flight to neighbouring countries, to Europe, as well as death and injury, loss of infrastructure in the country, as you know. Lots of change happened. Many houses were destroyed and damaged, factories, as you all know, were looted, many places of employment were destroyed and it is difficult to repair them. Schools and hospitals either destroyed or, sometimes if not, the systems have been terribly degraded.

Those who want to stay, or can't leave, are in a real state of poverty. Life is not easy now, and it is very difficult to maintain daily life in Aleppo, especially. Electricity and water are cut off for long hours. The daily life is not easy for families.

What does your congregation do to help?

From the beginning of the crisis, our sisters were holding us in prayer all over the world. And they try to help as much as they can so we can stand with our families. My congregation, as well as Aid to the Church in Need, which is helping us a lot. At least we make the suffering of our families less.

We know that this war has affected the country materially, and there has been terrible loss of life, refugees, etc. How has it affected people's faith, and more specifically the faith of the Christians?

There is a real spiritual growth and the families need the support and welcome of the liturgy and prayer that the churches offer. They are full when prayer or mass is announced. I think also that the crisis has made our faith stronger, and you can see that from the worship of the peopel, the way they pray, the way they trust the Lord, the way they have hope that one day there will be a ressurection.

You say there is hope that one day things will improve. But looking back, only in the past 100 years, you had the massacres of 1915, Simile in 1933, now the persecutions at the hands of ISIS... Do you believe Christians will ever live in peace in this part of the world?

If you go back in the history of the Church, from the beginning we have always had difficult times and peaceful times. So what we are looking for is to live in peace and dialogue.

It is not easy... Always our dear Christians have been facing dangers and difficulties for the sake of Christ. If we really believe in Christ, then what does our life matter?

Pope Francis used an expression which is Ecumenism of Blood. There are so many different churches on the ground in the Middle East, not only Catholic but Orthodox, do you feel that the Christians have drawn closer together faced with these persecutions?

Yes, very much so, especially with the emergency help, they try to help eachother, when one Church has a good, they share it with other churches. Not only on the material level, also on the spirtiual level, every time we have common prayer for peace, for kidnapped people, so yes, this crisis has brought us closer and closer together.

One of the concerns is that this crisis will drive Christians away from the Middle East. What do you say when young people go to you and say they are trying to leave?

I just listen to them. It is not easy to say for them to stay or to go, because people have a capacity of holding this violence and some people who are leaving have their reasons. So we need to pray together and see what is the good for them and let them make their choices.

We hear so many appeals for help from the Christians in the Middle East, but what exactly can we do to help?

When you have difficulties it is very important to find somebody standing beside you. What we want more, the real intention is that people work for peace. For us as a congregation and as a group working with families, we felt that. We felt that we are not alone. Many people around the world are praying for us, supporting us with material things and even with their prayer. And this is the beauty of the Church. We are one body and when a small part of the body is suffering, the whole church is suffering. So we felt that our brothers are really suffering with us and they are always sending us messages. Sister, we are praying for you, for your communities, we are with you, today we are having mass and praying for you.

The concern for what is happening is beautiful. Maybe on the wider level, the good intention to work for peace and make people aware that we really want peace.

“Estamos dispostos a morrer na Síria”

Transcrição da entrevista ao abuna Munir al Rai, provincial dos salesianos no Médio Oriente. A reportagem pode ser lida aqui.

É responsável por quantos salesianos no Médio Oriente?

Eu sou responsável por cerca de 100 salesianos, presentes no Médio Oriente, e que são de quase 18 nacionalidades. 40% são italianos, 30% são locais e outros 30% de outras nacionalidades.

Em que países?

Temos a casa provincial em Belém, depois temos na Terra Santa, no Egipto, Turquia, Irão, Síria e Líbano. Também nos é confiado o Iraque.

Trabalham sobretudo na educação?

Sim, essa é a nossa missão fundamental. Temos muitas escolas para crianças e jovens, sobretudo escolas profissionais e centros profissionais. Temos também oratórios juvenis e também paróquias e igrejas públicas, bem como vários serviços sociais para as pessoas.

Estas escolas e trabalhos servem quantas pessoas no Médio Oriente?

Temos no Médio Oriente, entre crianças, jovens e leigos que frequentam as nossas casas, cerca de 10 mil pessoas. São números estimados, tudo depende da situação. Mas registados são quase 10 mil.

Sobretudo cristãos? Ou cristãos e muçulmanos?

A maioria são muçulmanos. Servimos também cristãos, mas de vários ritos, ortodoxos, católicos... De vários ritos.

Disse uma vez que os salesianos estavam preparados para serem martirizados por permanecer na Síria. Já perderam algum salesiano durante esta guerra civil?

É verdade, os salesianos presentes na Síria arriscam, como disse, o martírio. Estamos sempre disponíveis até a dar a vida.

Houve vários momentos graves, de grande perigo, mas graças a Deus estão todos seguros.

Abuna Munir al Rai, à direita

Qual é a presença dos salesianos na Síria neste momento?

A primeira casa fundada na Síria é em Aleppo, no Norte, data de 1948. Foi a primeira escola profissional da Síria. Em 1960 foi nacionalizada. Actualmente temos um grande oratório e centro juvenil e uma grande igreja publica. Estão lá actualmente três salesianos, dois sírios e um italiano.

Depois temos em Damasco uma casa fundada em 1990, o oratório e centro juvenil, inserido num ambiente ligado às nossas irmãs salesianas, que gerem lá um grande hospital, que serve muitos doentes. Lá temos quatro salesianos, três sírios e um italiano.

Temos uma outra casa, sobretudo com a presença de salesianos religiosos e no inverno confiámos esta casa a uma família de colaboradores salesianos.

Nenhuma destas casas está em áreas controladas pelo Estado Islâmico?

Não. São zonas que até agora têm estado nas mãos do Governo, zonas bastante tranquilas, mas tranquilo, na Síria deixou de existir, porque o perigo é iminente e o improviso pode sempre acontecer.

Enquanto provincial, onde está sedeado?

A sede é na Terra Santa, porque os salesianos chegaram ao Médio Oriente pela Terra Santa e as grandes obras são na Terra Santa. A casa provincial é em Belém e eu faço as minhas visitas às casas do Médio Oriente a partir de lá. Passo muito tempo com os meus irmãos e com as pessoas.

É fácil viajar?

Não. Nada fácil. É muito difícil. Mas vamos conseguindo.

Como é que faz para visitar Aleppo ou Damasco, por exemplo? É fácil entrar e sair de lá?

Depende do momento. Há alturas em que era impossível, estava muito grave e era difícil a passagem. Há alturas menos difíceis, mas não usamos a palavra fácil, nem tranquilo. Não se usa. Usamos situação gravíssima ou menos grave. São estes os termos.

Quando viajamos são viagens cansativas e duras e podem surgir problemas inesperados. Por exemplo, recordamos que foram várias pessoas raptadas e mortas, dois padres raptados nas suas viagens, bispos também. Pode acontecer o inesperado. Mas é preciso muito cuidado e quando viajamos é com muita simplicidade, com muito cuidado, tentando confiar-nos ao Senhor.

Ainda tem família em Aleppo?

A minha família... Como sabe, no Médio Oriente tivemos várias etapas de emigração. A minha família emigrou no fim dos anos 80, para o Canadá, tenho lá muitos parentes. Eu escolhi permanecer no Médio Oriente.

Igreja destruída em Aleppo. Foto: Alfredo Girardi

A Europa está agora a debater a questão dos refugiados, muitos dos quais vêm da Síria. Como sírio, como descreve a resposta europeia a este problema?

É verdade que a questão dos refugiados é muito complicada e muito difícil. É justo recordar que há muitos refugiados - e fala-se pouco deste problema - também na Turquia, Líbano, Jordânia, também no Egipto. Estamos a falar de milhões. É justo sublinhar este ponto. Muitos deles vivem em campos de refugiados e sofrem.  Este é um ponto a recordar e sublinhar, porque se fala do problema como se só afectasse a Europa.

Desde o início da guerra que alguns começaram a vir para a Europa. Muitas pessoas, ao longo dos anos da guerra, vieram para a Europa. Estranhamente, e é isso que questionamos, só agora é que são notícia de primeira página e só os da Europa.

Outra coisa, é certo que a Europa está a tentar ajudar estes refugiados, mas não existe um plano bem organizado nem adequado. Por isso há deslizes e divergências entre países europeus. Há também fortes restrições. Por isso muitos jovens perdem-se, não sabem o que é que deviam fazer, basta dizer também, porque é que devem arriscar as suas vidas para chegar à Europa?

É preciso um plano bem organizado e bem preparado para que possam ao menos deixar de arriscar a vida, porque tantos morrem durante a viagem, muitos são deixados aos traficantes, muitos sofreram verdadeiramente, por isso, na minha opinião, devemos agradecer à Europa este acolhimento, esta vontade de acolher, mas neste momento falta um plano bem estudado, bem organizado, para poder acolher e acompanhar, porque são duas coisas diferentes.

Acolher uma coisa, mas acompanhar, de forma sistemática e com dignidade, isso seria uma coisa importante.

Também há pessoas que dizem que o facto de muitos destes refugiados serem muçulmanos constitui uma ameaça à Europa e à sua identidade cristã.

O que digo é que esta questão é muito complicada. Em todo o lado em que existe emigração há lados negativos e positivos. Penso que esta resposta basta.

Há também pessoas que dizem que com os refugiados podem vir jihadistas infiltrados...

Como já disse, há sempre lados positivos e negativos.

Penso que é preciso resolver o problema das pessoas e do Médio Oriente procurando soluções pacíficas para evitar todos os perigos possíveis e imagináveis. Esta é a questão mais importante. Depois, acolhendo as pessoas, é preciso haver um plano bem claro. Cada estado deve estudar a sua capacidade de acolher e acompanhar para inculturar estas pessoas nos seus países, porque caso contrário podem surgir vários problemas incontroláveis.

Mas a coisa principal, para mim, é procurar soluções para os problemas que causaram esta imigração, que causaram esta inundação massiva de pessoas do Médio Oriente, potenciando mais a paz, esse é que é o grande trabalho para evitar tantos problemas e tantos perigos.

Desde o início da crise no Iraque e, antes disso na Palestina, temos visto cristãos a abandonar o Médio Oriente em maior proporção que muçulmanos. E fala-se no perigo de o Médio Oriente ficar sem cristãos nos próximos anos. Ouvimos alguns patriarcas a dizer que em vez de ajudar os cristãos a abandonar o Médio Oriente devíamos estar a ajudá-los a permanecer. Isto é realístico?

Para nós, pastores das igrejas do Oriente, o nosso sonho, não só o sonho, mas aquilo que desejamos e queremos e pelo qual trabalhámos toda a vida, é que os cristãos permaneçam no Médio Oriente. Isto é o mais importante, o mais fundamental para nós.

É verdade que no Médio Oriente estamos a assistir a esta hemorragia de cristãos, mas também de muçulmanos, de pessoas que não quer aceitar a guerra, o sofrimento e a destruição e procura um mundo melhor.

Membros da família salesiana em Aleppo

Mas quando, falando com as pessoas, falando com os jovens sobretudo, quando depois de anos de guerra e de destruição e há um alto risco de vida, não podemos dizer-lhes para permanecer. Obviamente eles dizem que querem tentar salvar pelo menos as suas vidas, por isso procuramos uma solução.

Nós tentamos ajudar, sustentar espiritualmente, moralmente, materialmente, procurando sustentá-los nos países vizinhos, mas muitos decidem ir, de modo definitivo, para mais longe.

Esta forte imigração é a principal questão com que nos confrontamos no cristianismo oriental.

Os cristãos estarão algum dia em segurança no Médio Oriente, ou no mundo islâmico em geral?

Tento sempre dizer que no Médio Oriente tanto cristãos como não-cristãos têm sofrido com a guerra. Também muitos muçulmanos morreram. Bebés, jovens, mulheres, homens e todos pagaram o preço da guerra.

Vivemos também momentos felizes e belos no Médio Oriente, mas também momentos de sofrimento. Por isso acredito que podemos voltar a ter momentos bonitos também.

Alguns grupos cristãos defendem a criação de uma região autónoma ou mesmo independente, onde os cristãos e outras minorias possam viver com protecção e maior segurança. A maioria dos bispos com quem falei rejeitam esta ideia. Acredita que isto pode ser uma solução?

Eu não vou entrar em política. Como bom salesiano não falo de política. Falo de jovens e os jovens querem segurança, uma justa segurança uma justa paz e uma justa justiça. Apenas direi isto.

Os cristãos no Médio Oriente estão divididos entre diferentes ritos, com diferentes patriarcas. Não seria melhor ter uma voz forte para falar pelos cristãos no Médio Oriente, em vez de muitas vozes mais fracas?

Digo antes que esta diversidade não é uma fraqueza. Esta diversidade, para nós cristãos no Médio Oriente, é uma riqueza. Por isso eu não digo que estamos divididos, mas somos de muitos ritos mas unidos no caminho cristão. Penso que os cristãos do Médio Oriente e os homens de boa-vontade são unidos na condenação desta guerra e na busca por uma solução de paz.

O Papa Francisco falou de um ecumenismo de sangue. Sentem isso, que o sofrimento aproximou os cristãos?

Sim. O sofrimento e o conflito uniram-nos mais.

Acredita que haverá paz na Síria, ou não vê qualquer solução para breve?

Como sou bom sírio, bom cristão e bom salesiano, creio na paz. Chegará certamente o tempo da paz.

Um aniversário especial para o Papa

Gewargis Sliwa, Patriarca da
Igreja Assíria do Oriente

O Papa Francisco já está em Cuba. Esta tarde celebrou missa em Holguín e fez uma homilia que à primeira vista é sobre a conversão de São Mateus, mas que na verdade deve ser muito mais pessoal.

Francisco chegou a Cuba no sábado e já se encontrou com Fidel Castro, mas não conseguiu encontrar-se com dissidentes, alguns dos quais foram detidos a caminho da missa ontem, em Havana.

O arcebispo de Cantuária tornou-se o mais recente líder cristão a abrir as portas da sua casa a refugiados. Uma família irá viver para o palácio de Lambeth, no Reino Unido.

A Igreja Assíria do Oriente tem um novo líder. Mar Gewargis era metropolita do Iraque e foi eleito para chefiar a mais pequena das igrejas com sucessão apostólica e sacramentos válidos.

E em Aleppo, a segunda cidade da Síria, a situação está cada vez pior. O arcebispo caldeu daquela cidade diz que os ricos já fugiram, a classe média está pobre e os pobres não têm nada…

Não se esqueçam que amanhã há o lançamento do livro “Compartilhe a sua Fé com um Muçulmano”, em Benfica, não deixem de aparecer se o tema vos interessa.

Muçulmanos também perseguidos e Papa vai a Cuba

Já disponível no site da editora

O Papa Francisco vai a Cuba. A viagem terá lugar quando for aos Estados Unidos também, em Setembro.

Um homem foi detido em França, no passado domingo, e a polícia descobriu que tinha planos detalhados para fazer atentados contra uma ou duas igrejas.

Não são só os cristãos que são perseguidos. Na República Centro Africana acontece também o contrário, e esta história de muçulmanos perseguidos por milícias cristãs é verdadeiramente triste e chocante.

Resignou ontem o bispo Robert Finn, do Kansas (Missouri), que foi o primeiro bispo do país a ser condenado em tribunal num processo relacionado com encobrimento de abusos sexuais.

E faz hoje dois anos que dois bispos sírios foram raptados perto de Aleppo. Até hoje, não se sabe nada deles. Não os esqueçamos.

No artigo desta semana do The Catholic Thing em português, Hadley Arkes lamenta que tanta gente não seja capaz de compreender a ideia de princípios num argumento e recorda a resposta que teve de uma professora de direito quando lhe disse que era indiferente se um bebé se encontra no útero da mãe ou numa paragem de autocarro, não se pode matar: “Está a dizer que o meu útero é igual a uma paragem de autocarro?”

Fica ainda o aviso que o meu livro “Que Fazes aí Fechada” já está disponível online no site da Aletheia. Mas para quem puder aparecer no lançamento, segunda-feira no Convento dos Cardaes às 18h30, já sabe que está convidado!

“The end is near for Bashar”, but “Free Syrian Army are gangsters”

Transcrição integral da entrevista a Alfred, um sírio católico de Rito Latino, que trabalhava na indústria cimenteira e fugiu de Aleppo para Beirute quando começou a violência. Notícia aqui.

Full transcript of the interview with Alfred, a Syrian Latin Rite Catholic who worked in the Cement industry and escaped from Aleppo to Beirute when the fighting started. News item (in Portuguese) here.

Why and when did you leave Aleppo?

Before the fighting started in Aleppo we started going back and forth to Beirut. The last two weeks were the most dangerous in Aleppo, so everybody left

What do you believe is going to happen in Syria?

As you know, the first thing that happened was that most Christians who were well off left the country. The ones who were not well off stayed in their houses, I am calling everyday to know about the community. Nobody knows about the future, about the regime. It’s all politics, and deals under the table.

In your case, personally, would you like the regime to be replaced?

For the Christian’s sake the regime is better as it protects minorities. That is what the Christians want, for the time being. But for the long term everybody needs some changes. Nobody believes in the reforms anymore, in all these promises that have led to nothing. We have been waiting for 12 years, nothing really happened for the people. Maybe the country improved a bit, but everything is in the hands of the minorities and a circle around the president.

Do you believe that if the opposition take over they will protect the Christians?

The opposition that you see on TV, they are gangsters. The Free Army, I don’t know what their purpose is, just the fall of the regime. They steel, ask for ransoms. Just two days ago they attacked one of the Christian clubs in Aleppo, they swam in the swimming pool and destroyed all the alcohol, then they wrote on the wall, “try and drink alcohol again, and you’ll see what will happen”. You are seeing some radical Islamic groups coming with this free army, it’s a mixture of everything.

Do you know any Christians who were active in the conflict? Either for or against the regime?

No. Christians are not participating, they are not taking any position. They have no interest. Everybody knows that if they join the opposition or the militias, their punishment will be death. The others think that if they are martyred they will go to heaven, that is why they are going. But Christians, they have brains, they have families, they don’t do these things.

You also do not see Alawites going to the Free Army. The minorities are not taking any position. But there are Christians who are part of the regular army, I have cousins and others who are in the Syrian army.

They don’t think of deserting?

No, that is not the case. When you hear about the big names of deserters, these are people who are bought. Like the prime-minister, this guy has been paid something and deserted, it is very obvious.

Have you been well received by the Lebanese Christians?

Most of the Syrians who have come here have a second house in Beirut, the others are renting houses. I personally purchased an apartment last year, before the problems. But people who arrived just now are not buying, because it is not time to spend money, everybody is putting money on the side.

But in terms of solidarity and friendship, have the Christians in Lebanon received the Christians from Syria as well as they should?

I don’t personally know any contacts between Christians from here and from there. The ones who came here are well off, they pay their own expenses, there is no evacuation for the time being. The other Christians from Aleppo stayed in Aleppo, because they can’t leave. The roads are cut off, it’s impossible to travel on the highway, and the flights are fully booked for the next month. The people have to wait two, three, four weeks on waiting lists to get on a plane.

I’ll give you an example, taking a taxi from town to the airport should cost maximum 10 dollars. Today, the taxi will charge 200 dollars to take you to the airport. Who can pay this kind of money? And then catching a plane to Beirut or to Damascus… and living in Beirut is expensive compared to Syria. That is why Christians are staying in their homes, most of them.

People who were in Beirut have told me that there have not been many contacts between Christians in Lebanon and Syria, some even complain of a cold reception.

Sure. Here they are Maronite, and there is no connection between the churches. In Syria we have 13 bishops, and there is no coordination between them. I know some of them personally, they are not coordinating. Each one is taking care of his own community. I went to my Bishop about 8 or 9 months ago, and I asked him why they didn’t complain to the Government, and speak of the demands of the Christians? Why didn’t they ask for our rights? Then the problems happened and one day the revolution started, then it was too late to ask about reforms, nobody asked about the reforms.

Would it be better if the different bishops were more united?

It’s like Catholics and Orthodox. Of course it would be better, but they are never at the same table agreeing. The problems between Catholics and Orthodox, it’s the same as what we have in Syria.

But even among the different Catholic bishops?

I don’t believe it, because everybody has a big community to satisfy, and they are not even able to satisfy their community. The financial situation of the churches is very poor. My church has about 20 thousand dollars a year to distribute to the poor families, and each family gets about 20 dollars a month. This is all they can do.

Do you think you will be returning to Syria?

Returning is obvious for us. We can’t live in another country. We love our country, but in this situation everything is on hold, until this fight ends. Now the army has entered Aleppo by land and we have been promised that they are trying to clean everything in one or two weeks maximum. This is what I heard, but I don’t know if this will end or not. Like in Damascus, the fourth division entered the city and they cleaned everything.

But you have insurgents from outside. I have a friend who was kidnapped last week with four other Christians, and he told me there were black people, people from Libya, from other countries… There is a mixture, they ask for money, they are gangsters. He said they saw weapons that they’d never seen in their lives.

The king of Jordan said that Assad might try and set up an Alawite enclave if he feels he can’t hold onto power. Could that happen?

No. They will not try to divide Syria. The president’s duty is to maintain whatever he can until he leaves, but of course the end is near. He will not survive. The American’s, Europeans, 80% of the world is against him. And now with these problems, and the hatred in people in Syria…

My opinion, if there is an election, I don’t know if he would even run. He’s fed up with this. If I were him I would ask for political exile, but I don’t know if he will. Everybody is defecting around him, his best friend Tlass defected. Then there was the explosion in Damascus. Nobody is around him now, nobody knows who is ruling the country now. It’s “run for your life”. If you are kidnapped it is better to pay the ransom than to ask the Government for help, because nobody will come. They are sometimes part of the corruption, the gangsters, you don’t know if the police are involved. Its chaos, it can’t get worse.

You have access to western news outlets. Do you think they are portraying the truth on the ground?

No. There are some exaggerations. I hear people from the States going to Aljazeera and asking how they can give money to the Free Army to buy weapons. This is not a civilized way. They are destroying the country. Maybe supporting Democracy and sitting around a table, this would be more civilized, but the embargoes, they are killing the country. Business has stopped, we are going backwards. We didn’t see any support from the west, food or humanitarian aid, nothing happened. The politicians just go on TV and pretend to do something good, but they are not cooperating at all with Syria.

Obama cristão? No You Can't!

Talvez devia ter ficado calado...

Há dois padres portugueses na aldeia olímpica, mas não estão a competir…

Na Síria poucos estarão a pensar nos Jogos Olimpicos. Os cristãos de Aleppo estão aterrorizados. O mesmo bispo que no ano passado disse que todos os cristãos estavam com o regime, hoje diz que não sabe porque é que os rebeldes quereriam expulsá-los da cidade.

No you can’t! Quatro anos mais tarde, Obama ainda não conseguiu convencer todos os americanos de que é cristão. Cerca de um em cada cinco continua a pensar que é muçulmano.

Não deixe de ler o artigo desta semana de The Catholic Thing. Francis Beckwith pergunta se não é natural que um catequista católico se comprometa a ensinar de acordo com o catecismo católico? Pelos vistos alguns pensam que não.