Intervention of Rev. Sister Daniella HARROUK, Superior General of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (LEBANON), auditor

- An act of thanks.
- A cry of alarm.
- A proposition.
Act of thanks to the Lord for the personal choice with which you have gratified me, Holy Father.
Well, in this immense ocean of men where I have been navigating for the past 5 days, I am rejoicing at finally being able to make my voice heard, in the name of the four Religious Congregations coming from Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, with 43 zealous companions from Jordan and the Holy Land, 7 women. What we would call chance, said Bernanos, is perhaps the logic of God - Alfred de Musset also said. “Beat your heart, that is where genius is”. After this literary flight I launch my cry of alarm: schools in the Middle East are threatened, they are in danger especially in our countries. We have listened at great length to you and we have followed your interventions with interest. Now, listen to our anguished cry: the fate of 192,000 students in Lebanon’s Catholic schools is endangered.
Should the Church lose her role of Mother and Teacher, in the educational institutions, when could she recuperate or practice her mission?
What kind of end profile could we have in the Middle East for a youth deprived of kerygma in a society where values are boiling and religious freedom is contested, and one preys on fanaticism? Where in Lebanon would the plural and convivial and multi-confessional message be?
Save education and more precisely the schools subsidized by the State, the States that do not honor their commitments despite our courageous and repeated claims.
In line with Communion, sharing and witness, let us found a common treasury or more exactly a mutual for all the Middle Eastern schools, where Your Holiness, Your Beatitudes and you beloved Bishops, superiors general would give your contribution, which I hope would be substantial, generous and regular to ensure a minimum income to families and to the students in the surrounding areas, a teaching of quality to all in equality and dignity.
Thus, the universal Church and those of the Middle East would contribute to the promotion of man and all men through an educational cooperation with good management and amazing transparency.

[00162-02.02] [UD022] [Original text: French]