CONFERENCE ON THE MIDDLE EAST AT THE CAMPIDOGLIO

A delegation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops attended the conference entitled “Middle East. Christian witness for peace” which was held Tuesday, 19 October, 2010 in the Campidoglio. The meeting was sponsored by the City of Rome, the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vatican Radio and the International Center of Communion and Liberation.
Peace in the Middle East is the great hope for all the peoples of the world. This, in short, is the “red thread” that has linked all the interventions presented at the Campidoglio, as reported by Vatican Radio. And peace is the word invoked by several voices, as well as the importance of the Christian presence in the Middle East. “The values of Christianity” - said the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno - “may inevitably be the best medicine to ensure that in solving the conflict, in creating peace and justice, that the tension, anger, resentment and hostility arising from the hatred accumulated over many years should not be an obstacle”.
This was echoed by the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, H. E. R. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, who pointed out that peace is a gift from God and that every member of the Church is called to follow their vocation, that is, to be a peacemaker. “This vocation” - said the Secretary-General - also has an important social dimension that could break the vicious circle of violence, revenge and hatred and prepare our hearts to find true peace in reconciliation and in justice”.
The General Relator, S. B. Antonios Naguib, asserted the role of Christians in political parties and called for “the courage to make tough decisions” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which, he said, “has disastrous consequences for religious and political life of the entire region”.
From Rome to the Middle East and to Rome from the Middle East, continued Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Radio and CTV, explaining the strong link which exists between the Italian capital and the Middle East region. Father Lombardi also noted the crucial role of the mass media in ensuring that the Christians of the Middle East sense the solidarity of the international community, both at a social and political level. Thus, Father Lombardi highlighted the greatest demand perceived by the Synod: “To show solidarity, tackling, in a promising way for the future, the reflection on what is the true meaning, the true place of undivided practice, today, in the Middle East and in all other countries in the world, of religious freedom, freedom of conscience, full citizenship to build the social and political communities in which we live. These issues should be explored precisely in order to be able to diffuse them and be able to make everyone aware of the good of the Christians of the Middle East”.
The intervention by the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was dramatic: out of every 100 deaths due to religious intolerance in the world, he said, 75 are Christians and the situation is alarming. “Christianophobia today” - he continued - “is a growing and very real risk, that today we have to fear day after day. In many contexts, the Christian communities live in a state of isolation and alienation, despite being throughout history the centers of propelling and spreading Christianity, long before the arrival of Islam”. The Minister Frattini also mentioned the proposal to introduce an UN resolution on the protection of minorities and of religious freedom and stressed that dialogue is essential to try to resolve conflicts. In this context, the real challenge of Christianity is then to demonstrate its anthropological relevance.
The full text of the speech by Freign Minister Frattini is published in Bulletin N.20.
“In the war-torn Middle East, to the weak constitution of every man are also added: objective situations of suffering, the threat to fundamental rights, marginalization and suppression of freedom; it is there that Christianity has to reveal its truth, its capability to reawaken the person and to save humanity”, said Don Julián Carrón, president of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation.
The Middle East seems a paradox, concluded Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land: right there where they were born, Christians are few in number. Yet, they are a deeply rooted and very active reality. “You can not say that there is not a Christian witness” - explained the Custodian of the Holy Land - “There are the deeds, the activities of Christians: the Christian Churches are not closed in on themselves, there is a tremendous vitality and the Christian presence - the works, the activities of the Church - through schools, hospitals, universities, reaches more than two and a half percent of the population”.

[00202-02.04] [NNNNN] [Original text: Italian]