The cultural and political mission of Lebanon and Europe
The Land of Cedars can help reawaken the European continent to rediscover its forgotten religious dimension. Without the memory of its Christian roots, without a vision and a desire for peace, nothing great can happen in Europe, or between it and the world. The religious dimension is important for political and cultural dialogue with the South. Card. Parolin’s intervention of in Davos.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The time for play is over its now time to fulfill our duty to the nation, the Head of the State Michel Aoun made clear in his speech before the diplomatic corps on January 17 last: lessons learned from the 1975-1990 war we must now be passed on to all the Arab states shaken by violence. And the first of these lessons is that "every war must have an end”, because one understands nothing of the war until one learns to hate war and prefer a negotiated solution.
Providentially saved from the violence of these times, Lebanon should not settle for complacency and remember that it was not always so. While defending its borders, Lebanon, or rather Lebanese diplomacy should strive now to be the tireless advocate of an end to violence. In doing so, the central authority needs to distance itself from Hezbollah, which offers assistance to the Syrian regime and thus perpetuates the cycle of violence, and blocks a solution to the Syrian crisis. The dynamics of moderation that Lebanon is witnessing at the moment, which internally has allowed the country to regain its spirit and its institutions, could inspire others to settle conflicts instead of deepening them.
The diplomatic mission of Lebanon in the Arab world could also double up into a cultural, historical, spiritual mission, and go beyond the Arab world to reach a stumbling Europe. In fact, in the Arab world, it will not be enough to settles political conflicts, if first there is no in-depth dialogue between the two great families of Islam, in order to overcome their divisions. And who better than a Lebanese intellectual elite to help in this? Our society has exceptional men who could offer the best of themselves.
Lebanon’s mission could also exceed the borders of the Mashreq and the Arab world and touch the Mediterranean, Mare Nostrum.
Speaking at the Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), Card. Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, Thursday, January 19 pleaded for greater justice in the world and invited the EU to return to the spirit of the founding fathers, as reported by Antoine d'Abbundo, correspondent of Figaro in Davos.
"On the sidelines of the great forum sessions, the Secretary of State of the Holy See came to remind 3 thousand political and economic leaders gathered in the Swiss resort, of the values of the Catholic Church and the vital role they can play in building a more human world ".
“Pope Francis’ right hand man pointed out the great objectives that Vatican diplomacy pursues: fighting poverty, building bridges to promote dialogue, to make peace. But the Church is not content to enunciate major principles ... On the ground, everywhere in the world, the main concern of the Church is to defend religious freedom which, as St. John Paul II said forcefully, is the first among human rights . But we are working not only to defend the freedom of Catholics. Defending and promoting the right to believe is also defending respect for the human person in all of his dimensions, including the spiritual dimension. If we reduce man to the matter, without taking into account his transcendence, if it is not clear that we are brothers and sisters, then the future of humanity is compromised ''.
"Responding to questions on the crisis spreading across the European Union and the threats to its unity, the Holy See representative invited all concerned to recognize the benefits of the European integration process: first peace, but also the free movement of men and ideas. He urged a return to the spirit of the founding fathers 'who wanted a Europe of peoples and not only of trade and economy' .. 'We have to give Europe a soul', said Cardinal Parolin, taking the formula used by the President of the commission Jacques Delors in 1992".
Despite all the reservations concerning this soul, which has to recover and not create from nothing, Lebanon cannot but endorse this appeal, in the hour in which the European Union and the international community continue to scold her on the issue of refugees invoking human rights to control migratory flows of refugees and force them off their coasts, at any price.
In addition, the "Islamist threat", to the extent that it becomes rooted and diversified, becoming also cultural, political and military, is set to provoke an awakening of Christian Europe. But there are in fact two types of awakening. One is spiritual which is the reappropriation of faith and openness to the other; the other is identity, which is a radicalization of their faith and closing towards the other.
Now, in Lebanon we have made and continue to make the experience of these two revivals and it is in remembering our affinity with Europe - and individually with France – that we can comment on this subject.
"We have forgotten how we won": Lech Walesa once said, the man who managed to shake off the yoke of communism in Poland. Europe must remember that, whatever its programs, without the memory of its Christian roots, without a vision and a desire for peace, nothing big will happen in it or between it and the world. Poland has shaken off the Soviet yoke by the power of its faith. The coal and steel of the Ruhr were put together by faith. Europe was born in the crucible of suffering, and only the men of faith know the price of war and its unspeakable sufferings.
Now, between Europe and a good number of the "Southern countries", including Lebanon, there is a cultural and even spiritual hiatus. We do not speak the same language more, nor about the same mankind, when we discuss ethics, politics, programs or dialogue among civilizations.
Politically, President Michel Aoun noted in his speech: "The last few years we have witnessed the implementation of a project referred to as a 'constructive chaos in our region ... Since when has chaos been constructive? ... Some states qualify acts that are prejudicial to their security as terrorist but qualify terrorism that serves their interests as a revolution".
In terms of civilization, the post-modern West quietly ignores God to the point of having become "anomic" (without rules, the law: the word is from the essayist Jean-Claude Guillebaud), inventing the "replacement myths", one more deceitful than the other (Emmanuel Mounier), while the rest of us nations of the "South" try desperately to reconcile faith and reason. The West should take note. Because we also want a Europe "of the people" and not only "of trade and economy." We also want a Europe that has a soul, and not only ... mood swings.
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