Intervention of Mons. Charbel Georges MERHI, Bishop of San Charbel en Buenos Aires of the Maronites (ARGENTINA)

The Church united in a Synod receives the assistance of the Holy Spirit to achieve its ecclesial activities.
We are invited to be trustworthy witnesses, according to what is indicated in the Gospel. Our faithful in the East have given witness to exemplary heroism, for 20 centuries, despite the horrible moments in history that made the innocent blood of martyrs flow and allowed a brilliant and authentic Christianity to grow. All this is thanks not only to the effort of the faithful, but rather to the intervention of Divine Providence. A witness to mention here is that of the Maronite community which persevered for 1600 years despite the enormous persecutions it had to endure. Without this Divine Providence it could not achieve forming an important church respected everywhere.
We can also assert this, without any error, for all the other communities present here.
The witness we must bear, on the community and personal level, is the service of charity in its horizontal dimension. This is the evangelical precept of the Lord.
Inasmuch as witnesses of the Gospel, Christians must also live conviviality with intelligence, ability and prudence. I could suggest to the friends who make up the Assembly to follow a general rule to have a conviviality of harmony, between the different communities that live in this region, very much in conflict today. Let us try, Jews, Christians and Muslims, to live without hostility, for we are all sons of Abraham.

[00067-02.03] [IN044] [Original text: French]