لقاء مائة مكرّس ومكرّسة في سورية

La visite que le Père Arturo Sosa a faite à la communauté Saint-Ignace a eu un impact profond sur chacun de nous, scolastiques de la Compagnie. Cet impact a dépassé toutes nos attentes. Ce ne fut pas simplement une rencontre pastorale ou une visite officielle, ce fut surtout une rencontre fraternelle.

A few months ago, when bombs were falling on the country and on Beirut, it was uncertain whether I could be with you on this occasion. Yet, I deeply wished it would be possible. Today, I am truly delighted that the situation, which has so profoundly changed since then, allows me to be here. I am very pleased to be able to join you in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut and, through this celebration, to express the deep attachment and esteem of the Society of Jesus.

Dear Rachel,
I have just received horrifying news about what happened in Bethlehem after Joseph, the child, and I left that night… The king’s soldiers came and slaughtered the children without mercy. Neither the mothers’ pleas nor the fathers’ courage could stop them!

As you will be visiting the CJC tomorrow and seeing how the Society of Jesus in Lebanon is responding to this crisis effectively, I would like to share with you how I, as a Jesuit, experience this impoverishment of the Lebanese population on a spiritual and human level.

On the first day when the war escalated here in Beirut, a mother from our parish called me. “Brother, if it gets bad can we come stay in the church?” She her children were living in Dahiyye, a neighborhood that was likely to face heavy bombing if the war picked up.

In the following lines, I will share my personnal experience with the uprising that took place on the midst of October 2019. For those who are coming from abroad, the protests took place here, just few meters away. So, I couldn’t stay in my room and watch the event through my window. The temptation to join the gathered people was so great and noble.