Bridges of peace guided by faith

There’s a “red line” which ideally unites Syria, Nicosia and Lampedusa, crossed by painful political and military processes, attempts of dialogue between religious and civil communities, uncontrollable and often tragic migratory phenomena linked to the quest for a better life. There is also a “green line” that divides, less ideally, an island, a State, the history of a nation, tracing a boundary within the island of Aphrodite, on the one side the Greek-Cypriots, mostly Orthodox, on the other Turkish Cypriots, where Islam is imposed by Ankara for political and strategic reasons.A necessary presence. The title of the 16th interreligious dialogue promoted by the European People’s Party at the European Parliament, held at the European Parliament October 17-18 on the initiative of the European People’s Party, was “Religions in the process of peace-building and conflict resolution in the Mediterranean Region”. The two-day meeting was marked by the fruitful dialogue between religious leaders representing Christian Orthodox, “Western” Catholics, Maronite Catholics, Armenians, Jews and Muslims. They were accompanied by ministers, MEPs from different countries, representatives of European and Asian realities committed on the front of international relations, in the realms of solidarity and culture. Among them figure the Jesuit Refugee Service, Aid to Church in Need International, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, European Jewish Public Affairs… There emerged a common understanding, namely, that “religions can play a fundamental role – pointed out Polish MEP Jan Olbrycht – in the interweaving of peaceful relations between peoples and States”. Participants acknowledged the risk of fundamentalist drives. But on the basis of mutual understanding, each monotheistic religion, which have their own roots in the Mediterranean, in the Middle East and in Europe, is a sign of the presence of God offering His peace to mankind, as Christians, Muslims and Jews jointly declared. For the believers this implies renewed, modern, responsible faith witness, open to reception and solidarity towards the last, to dialogue, along with a deep-rooted sense of justice. Old and new perils. On several occasions participants in the interreligious dialogue focused their attention on Syria, on the refugees from Jordan, Lebanon, who are knocking on Europe’s doors; on the boats of migrants fleeing from Northern Africa in search of a save haven on the other side of the Mediterranean. But the picture is marked by perils. Jaime Mayor Oreja, Spanish MEP, said: “We often identify religious fundamentalism as an enemy of our times, capable of causing tensions, violence, terrorism. But we cannot forget that in our European societies” and not only there, “another public enemy is present, that is, the absolute relativism of those who say: I believe in everything, i.e., I believe in nothing. It’s a twofold threat and the solution is not an in-between, equivocal solution, ranging between fundamentalism and relativism. Rather, it resides in pursuing” the truth that is born of “giving priority to human dignity and to the respect for life”. How much more can be tolerated? Here comes another threat, symbolized by a “green line” that divides Cyprus in two. It was told, with unprecedented photographic documentation, by Cypriot MEP Eleni Theocharous, who is engaged in a year long battle against the abandonment or the destruction of Christian sites in the northern part of the Country, occupied by Turkey in 1974. “Hordes of barbarians destroyed a large part of our historical and religious heritage”, said Theocharous before a silent audience. “The damage cannot be repaired, but perhaps it can be thwarted, to avoid things from growing worse”. Across the “green line” that passes through he capital, “things happen which Europe has ignored for too long”. Follow the images of “the catastrophe” involving the artistic and religious heritage of the Country that dates back to thousands of years, from the ancient times of the Byzantines, to the contemporary age. Ancient abbeys were transformed into barns, churches into casinos. Photos of cemeteries with open tombs and scattered bones around them. Theocharous said: “I was shocked when I saw that the eyes of the Holy Virgin and of the angels have been torn off from the mosaics”. “Ransacked churches and destroyed monasteries are but the signs of entire villages that were deported, and the otherwise uninterrupted Christian presence was broken off by violence”. He concluded: “How can the international community tolerate all of this? Can the EU welcome in its midst a Country”, Turkey, “that is responsible for such a tragedy?” These questions cannot remain unanswered.