Solidarity to eastern regions

The Christians of Europe are present! They don’t abandon the Christian faithful living in the martyred lands of the Middle East to their fate. The images depicting forced mass exiles, persecutions, along with the stories of denied rights shatter minds and souls. From Belgium to Germany, from France to Switzerland: a wave of solidarity has spread across Europe in response to the continual appeals by Pope Francis for persecuted Christians. In Belgium the cry of help for Christians in the Middle East was received by all Christian Churches in the Country. Orthodox, Protestants, Evangelicals have come together in a blood-traced ecumenism that is paving a painful path on the road towards full communion. “The Way of the Cross of Eastern Christians” is the title of the joint appeal by Christian Church leaders to their communities of faith, calling for prayers and solidarity collections from Palm Sunday to the Easter celebration. “How can we commemorate the suffering of Jesus on Good Friday and celebrate His Resurrection without thinking about Christians in the Middle East?” ask the representatives of Christian Churches in Belgium in their joint statement. “During the Holy Week we remember these witnesses of faith and the martyrs of all traditions, especially those perished in the Middle East over the past months”. Owing to its historical bonds with the Middle East, France welcomes on its land thousands of Christians from the Chaldean, Greek-Syriac and Greek-Melkite Churches. There are 10 thousand Chaldeans in Paris, 3 thousand live in the areas of Lyon and Marseilles, whose presence dates back to the 1960s. In the recent past, with the escalation of the armed conflict political refugees have arrived also from Syria and Iraq. 1,200 refugees arrived from Kurdistan: they were immediately given a residence permit by the French government. “Most of them are from traumatized families, – said Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, director of the Oeuvre d’Orient – they don’t speak the language and are in need of help”. Greek-Melkite refugees from Syria were given hospitality especially in Marseilles and Paris. In order to reach France “they travelled for days, some of which they spend on the streets, in many cases in the snow. When they finally arrive they’re exhausted”. Many people in France have taken action helping out in administrative procedures, teaching the French language and helping the refugees find a job. “In the North of Iraq- Gollnish said disheartened, ahead of his departure for Kurdistan, where he will spend Good Friday and Easter with the local Christian population –very few Christians are still left. That’s why their exodus is not the real solution. In fact, the real solution is to find a feasible option to enable Christians living in these lands to remain in their homes and ensure that those who emigrated may safely return to their homeland”. What kind of Easter will it be? “I have often heard them say: ‘We have lost everything but we didn’t lose the faith in Christ.’ For their faith in Christ they were persecuted. I have no doubt that it will be an Easter lived in faith and fidelity until the end”, Gollnish said. Also Switzerland joins the appeal asking that Middle Eastern Christians may remain in their homeland without being forced to leave the country. Here, for years the Holy Week charity collection has been supported by the Swiss Association of the Holy Land and by the Franciscan Custody. “Our thoughts go to the Middle East and our hearts are full of sadness”, the bishops write. We cannot fail to see the emergency involving the displaced, the violence and the suffering of too many people. It is with grave concern that we are witnessing the continuation of the conflicts. We are deeply disappointed by the fact that the willingness to reach a solution largely depends on party interests and political-economic factors. The sense of humanity, responsibility for the local communities, love for our neighbour, freedom and justice are values to be respected also and especially in the Middle East, the cradle of our faith”. In Germany, the proceeds of the large collection for Christians in the Holy Land will be run by the German Association of the Holy Land and by the Franciscans. But the purpose is always the same: to help Christians stay in their homes. In England, bishop Declan Lang, director of the Bishops’ Conference department for international affairs, has encouraged Catholic faithful in England to “send to the Christians prisoners of conscience and defenders of human rights, a message of hope for the coming Easter”. The initiative is promoted by Action by Christians Against Torture, with the proposal of sending an Easter card to various people who are being persecuted for various reasons, such as a teacher arrested in Indonesia for political charges, a priest threatened for defending human rights in Cuba and an MP in Pakistan whose safety is at risk for having protected religious minorities.