Bishop of Amman: Peace a shared value for Christians and Muslims
(Vatican Radio) “When you love you have to share. It’s not in terms of a Christian
value but it’s in terms of Arab values. Sharing and being generous and opening the
door to others is an Arab value and we are proud of it. The main thing that we share
with our brother Muslims here is peace and security for Jordan. When we see what
is happening in Syria and Iraq we pray to Almighty God to keep us safe and secure
here”.
This is the message of Bishop Maroun Elias Lahham, Bishop of Amman
and Apostolic administrator of the diocese of Tunis, speaking with Vatican Radio’s
Veronica Scarisbrick who is accompanying bishops from Europe and North America on
their annual pilgrimage of solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land. Listen:
(Pic.Jordanian
and Iraqi Christian children light candles before attending a Christmas mass in Amman
December 24)
Jordan is part of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, home
to 200 thousand Christians of all denominations among a Sunni Muslim majority. Catholics
count for roughly half of the Christian population and their contribution to wider
Jordanian society is greatly appreciated, in the words of the Bishop of Amman.
The
Catholic Church he says “is very respected, and has a lot of credit, in terms of social
work educational work and human support. Our parish schools existed years before the
public schools here in Jordan, so that is why we have a good history that we can rely
on”.
Jordan hosts tens of thousands of refugees from regional conflicts. People
seeking security in the Kingdom include Palestinians, Iraqis and more recently Syrians,
putting Jordan’s meagre resources – particularly water resources – under increasing
strain. Bishop Lahham notes that Jordan is a poor country but cannot close its borders
to these people, because they “are our brothers that we have to welcome. We certainly
do our best, it remains a big burden for a small country like Jordan. Please note
that Jordan is the fourth poorest country in the world in terms of water supplies.
But when you love you share”.