By Salvatore Cernuzio – Beirut
If it weren’t for the blackened buildings or those gutted by the 2020 port explosion, Beirut would seem like a city with a normal routine and not one of the most suffering in the entire Middle East.
The city seems like a conglomerate of smog and skyscrapers, with cars racing along serpentine roads under a perpetual gray haze, and the rubble of the Dahieh district; Hezbollah’s stronghold bombed by Israel. The desolation of the port sits on one side, while the other bustles with shops with glowing Arabic-English signs, lively venues, and a breathtaking view as darkness falls around 4.00 pm.
Praying for the Pope
Lebanon’s people have been battered by a severe economic crisis; one that has driven thousands of young people to emigrate; and a recent war has devastated the southern region, causing damage even in the capital, worsening the refugee crisis. Alongside its seven million inhabitants, Lebnon also hosts three and a half million refugees: Syrians, Palestinians, and even Africans and Asians working as migrant labourers.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has come to Lebanon for a visit from Feb 19-23, sent to bring the Pope’s closeness to the country’s bishops and to support local Church initiatives.
As he embarked on the mission, Pope Francis; hospitalized at Gemelli; is a constant thought for the Cardinal, who departed from Rome on Wednesday. He has entrusted the Pope’s health to Our Lady of Lebanon, whose statue stands atop a 600-meter-high hill, overseeing the city and the sea.
Wars, wars, and more wars
“Let us pray for the Holy Father’s swift recovery,” said Cardinal Czerny to those he met upon arriving in the Lebanese capital, starting with Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, and Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli, Youssef Soueif, who welcomed him at Rafic Hariri Airport.
This was the same airport from which Lebanese people have recorded images of planes landing under fiery skies during Israeli air raids. “We have had a war every fifteen years. Since the civil war in 1975, we have always lived in a cycle of wars, brief pauses, and then more wars. We’ve almost developed immunity,” remarked Archbishop Soueif.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has disrupted already fragile balances, driving a new wave of refugees from the South to central and northern Lebanon. “They have, in some way, imposed their presence, but they have been received,” he added.
The Catholic Church especially has sought to welcome migrants with its strong and clear voice allowed by the freedom it enjoys.
Restoring international trust
Many people returned to their homes and villages the morning the ceasefire was announced, unwilling to leave their country.
“Here, we try to build a future even when none seems to exist,” explains Archbishop Soueif, who breathes a sigh of relief when speaking about the election of new President Joseph Aoun after a prolonged political stalemate. “Now we must work to strengthen the state and the Church’s position. We need to regain both national and international trust. When a system works well, people stay.”
In constant grip of crisis
The current reality, however, appears bleak. “There are no investments, and people’s savings have vanished from banks after the collapse, disappearing who knows where,” said the Archbishop. “Before the crisis, one U.S. dollar was worth 1,500 Lebanese lira; after the crisis, it shot up to 90,000 lira.”
Slowly, businesses and local production are resuming, and many workers, especially in Tripoli, have returned to farming. “But people barely make it to the end of the month. No young person can plan to get married or buy a house. They survive on air,” he lamented.
The Maronite Archbishop told about the continuous flow of people knocking on parish and diocesan office doors. Overcome with emotion, he spoke of Lebanese expatriates sending money back home: “Every year, Lebanon receives 7–8 billion dollars in remittances. It’s an incredible act of solidarity that shows this people they are not abandoned.”
Closeness to the people
Bringing closeness to the people is the core mission of Cardinal Czerny’s visit. Over the next few days, he will visit Tripoli and several villages in the South.
On Wednesday and Thursday, his schedule has been filled with institutional meetings. In the morning, he spoke at the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon (APECL), the primary reason for his trip. On Wednesday night, he met with Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Maronite Patriarch, at the Patriarchate in Bkerké, followed by a discussion with young members of the Leadership Academy for Peace.
The initiative, supported by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, aims to train Catholic youth under 35 from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, equipping them with the tools to become political leaders grounded in Catholic Social Teaching.
At the tomb of Jesuit Father Kolvenbach
The Jesuit Cardinal met these young leaders at the Apostolic Nunciature after visiting the tomb of Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Dutch Jesuit and Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1983 to 2008, who taught in Lebanon and “left his heart” there, requesting to be buried in Lebanon.
His grave, a simple marble slab among twenty similar ones belonging to Lebanese Jesuits and missionaries (including Andreas Masse, martyred in Sidon in the 1980s), is located in the cemetery of Collège Notre-Dame, one of Lebanon’s top schools, in the upscale Baabda district, run by the Jesuits.
For eleven years, Cardinal Czerny was Fr Kolvenbach’s secretary for social apostolate matters. Standing at his mentor’s resting place, the Cardinal paused for prayer, kneeling on the ground. Speaking to Vatican News afterward, he reflected: “In the spirit of Vatican II, Kolvenbach tirelessly renewed and restructured all aspects of Jesuit spirituality, community, formation, and, most importantly, mission. His work culminated in the 1995 update of the Constitutions.”
Catholic education
Fr Kolvenbach’s legacy also lives on in the Collège’s academic programs. The school enrolls 3,300 students, mostly Christians, including children of seven ministers in the new government, according to its director.
Muslims make up about 2% of the student body. Catholic education, they explain, remains a benchmark for other religious groups in Lebanon because “it offers quality, values, spirit, and the Gospel.”
Testimonies from young people
The same principles drive the 120 young men and women of the Leadership Academy for Peace. Several of them shared their experiences with Cardinal Czerny at the Nunciature.
Michel expressed gratitude for the project: “I have realized that as Christians, we must raise our voices. We’re not just here to eat and sleep; we have values to share.”
Fouad spoke on behalf of many peers who hesitate to engage in politics; not out of apathy, but due to a collective sense of orphanhood, feeling lost without inspiring leaders. “Yet, I stand here and say: If we don’t step up, who will?”
Jihan, a Lebanese Christian who believes in her country’s future, described politics as a “dirty game” but affirmed: “Our mentors in the Academy show us that politics is not inherently corrupt. It is not a dirty game; it is something that can be restored.”
Rudy shared his experience representing the Syriac Church at the Mediterranean Youth Council in Palermo. Julie added: “There is no conflict between politics and Christianity. Politics is about service. My faith drives me to serve my community.”
Finally, twin brothers Joseph and Giovanni explained their social media campaign aimed at helping young people overcome the victim mentality associated with being born in Lebanon. “We try to convey that we, too, can become leaders. We are afraid of taking on that role, of being involved in politics, but we must and can be protagonists of change.”
Hope for countries facing similar challenges
“Thank you for your commitment, sharing, and good news,” said Cardinal Czerny as he addressed them. “Show hope to other countries facing the same challenges. Be a light in the darkness.”
As the Cardinal told the young people, governance is at the root of many problems, but his conversations with Pope Francis have made it clear to him that “fraternity is the key to every problem.”
“If we are brothers and sisters, we will be good leaders,” he said, recalling the message of Evangelii Gaudium, which states that “the fundamental Christian vocation is to evangelize.” We must evangelize always and everywhere, “if necessary, even with words,” he added, quoting the saying attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, often recalled by the Pope.
Cardinal Czerny offered two solutions, “prayer and work,” inspired by the teachings of Saint Ignatius: “Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depended on us.”
Concluding the meeting, everyone recited the Our Father together for the Pope’s “swift recovery.” – Vatican News
