قتلى – ضحايا – شهداء: الأب سامي حلّاق

The blast in the port of Beirut was not just one of many that I have experienced, sometimes very closely, as a war child. Beirut blast on 4 august 2020 was an earthquake, an upheaval, an apocalypse.

The October 17, 2019 revolution in Lebanon was a profound experience for me, filled with enthusiasm, contradictions, personal challenges, and deep wounds. From the very first days, I was swept up by the momentum of Lebanese youth dreaming of a better country, free from corruption and systemic injustices. Their energy, determination, and hope were contagious, and I felt immense joy in being among them, sharing their struggle, and marching alongside them in the streets of Beirut and other cities.

Today, I want to share with you how Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour faced and survived some of the worst crises in Lebanon’s history. Between 2017 and 2023, Lebanon experienced political turmoil, economic collapse, social unrest, and national disasters—each one threatening the very existence of its institutions, especially schools. Yet, despite these challenges, Jamhour endured, adapted, and even thrived, thanks to the support of some Jesuits, friends, families and benefactors. Let’s look at how the school navigated each crisis.

I will speak about what the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel stirred within me. Like many Lebanese—perhaps all—I felt a deep and overwhelming uncertainty about what this war would mean for our country. This uncertainty was already deeply rooted, given the more than two-year-long presidential vacuum and the gradual disintegration of state institutions.

في يوم الأحد الموافق 12 كانون الثاني (يناير)، اجتمع مجموعة من الدارسين اليسوعيين، في مرحلة التدريب الرسوليّ، من مصر ولبنان والولايات المتحدة الأميركية في لقاء عبر الفيديو لمناقشة تجاربهم في الحياة الرسولية والتحديات التي يواجهونها. شارك في اللقاء جوزيف أشرف ورودي خليل الدارسَين في مصر، ومايكل جبريال ومايكل بيترو في لبنان، ودانيال عطالله في سوريا. وذلك تحت إشراف الأب ريكاردو خيمينيز، مسؤول التكوين في الإقليم.

“I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church,” we profess in the Creed. But where is the one true Church to be found? The Orthodox claim that theirs is the one true Church, as do the Roman Catholics. Which is correct? There cannot be two true Churches, so it would seem that, to be a member of the one true Church, one has to choose either to be an Orthodox or a Roman Catholic.

More than one of the five Tertians enrolled in the Nicholas Kluiters European Tertianship Programme had to hear that question from friendly companions. Thankfully, the common response was a big smile. Eziokwu, Artur, Shigi, Matthew and Krystian met in Cairo last September for the launching of the 2024-2025 class.

A la fin de l’année 2024, fin octobre et début décembre, j’ai accepté de donner deux retraites a des prêtres diocésains, l’une pour ceux d’Assiout et l’autre pour ceux de Souhag. Compte tenu de leur emploi du temps, chaque retraite a eu lieu du lundi au jeudi. Ce fut une expérience enrichissante qui m’a poussé à réfléchir sur ce service d’Eglise.

اجتمعت مجموعة “دو ريف” في تونس بين 30 ديسمبر و4 يناير.
كنا 10: 4 من الجزائر، 2 من تركيا، 2 من المغرب، 1 من إسبانيا و1 من إيطاليا. بالنسبة للجزء الأكبر، كنا منتظمين للمجموعة، باستثناء “فيكتور راموس”، الذي شارك لأول مرة.

L’année 2024 a été particulièrement violente dans notre région.  Nous avons vu la destruction de Gaza, et la violence dans la Cisjordanie. La région frontalière israélo-libanaise a été continuellement bombardée avec des centaines de milliers de personnes qui ont dû quitter leurs habitations des deux côtés de la frontière. Fin septembre 2024 cette guerre a franchi un nouveau palier avec des bombardements israéliens de la banlieue sud, étendus rapidement à tout le Liban où il y avait des membres de Hezbollah.