Colin Lambert, French volunteer to SOS Chrétiens d’Orient,He traveled to the mediate East in the autumn of that year to aid Christians in Syria. In view of the first formal complications, however, he had to start working in Lebanon... During respective weeks of his stay on the country, Israeli bombs began to fall. Despite the danger and the tragedy of Lebanese brothers in the faith, the French remained in place. In an interview with PCh24.pl he talked about his experiences and sufferings that Christians there suffer.
– I was expected to go to Syria, but due to visa problems I had to stay a while in Lebanon. I already have a visa, but I've decided to stay until we have fresh volunteers, and then I'll go to Syria. – explained the circumstances of his stay in the country of cedar a young French volunteer.
According to Colin himself, he is “a French Catholic and presently a volunteer of the SOS Chrétiens d’Orient Association in Lebanon”. He besides spent a year in Poland as a student at the Jagiellonian University, making friends with local national environments. He has been helping Christians in the mediate East for 2 months. In an interview, he spoke about the tragedy of Lebanese brothers in the religion and realities of the ongoing war.
Here is the full content of the conversation:
Since the beginning of Israel’s war with Hamas in Lebanon, many Christians have suffered. The attacks even affected Catholic places of worship. This was akin in Gaza. Why are Christians suffering from Jewish-Islamic conflict? Why does Israel not avoid targeting Christians?
Israel does not actually attack people due to their spiritual affiliation, but alternatively due to their political affiliation. Most victims are the consequence of a deliberate run of panic against civilians. There's besides a immense number of accidental damage. As a result, people are killed who are in the incorrect place at the incorrect time. For example, the Greek-Catholic Archbishop of Sidon told us how 71 people were killed and wounded (and besides destroyed 2 buildings) only to kill 1 officer of Hezbollah. Turns out he wasn't even there.
Israel avoids shelling any Christian zones primarily due to their political affiliation (some Christian factions were allied with Israel during the Lebanese civilian War) and since this would be seen as an attack on the West. Nor would I talk [of the present war – ed.] as a "Jewish-Islamic conflict". It goes far beyond specified simplified visions.
What are your impressions as a volunteer dedicated to Christians in Lebanon? What are your tasks and everyday life? How did the war change them?
My task is to aid Christians in request (and besides Muslims in any cases) in all possible ways: monasteries, construction sites, schools, visiting the lonely, preparing food for the poor, assisting in hospitals...
The war has profoundly changed my regular work. I was in Tripoli and was evacuated to Beirut with an hr hold erstwhile Nasrallah was killed. It was beautiful hot. Later my comrades were all evacuated to another countries due to [crisis – ed.] situation and presently I am the only volunteer of the Association across the country (including permanent employees). I was given a choice whether I wanted to stay or not.So I can't do everything we did as a team. We besides have quite a few gifts for displaced people today. The kitchen responsibilities have besides doubled due to the fact that many people request to be fed now.
What events of this war do you find most shocking?
Everything is shocking. all day we see drastic images of dead bodies, crushed children, exploding buildings, people in despair, and so on.
Perhaps the most shocking is the complete deficiency of real consequence in the global forum. Israel seems to be impunityless, and the Lebanese army is powerless. More than 2,000 dead (two times as many as in the inactive shocking 2006 war) and more than 10 1000 wounded have already been recorded, not counting material harm or demographic consequences.
What do Lebanese Christians think about this war? What is the origin of their top suffering? How does the local Church apply to what is happening?
That's a very method question. It all depends on the political beliefs of Christians. any very much support Hezbollah, others hatred him. I met with all attitude and thousands of arguments behind it.
The causes of suffering are numerous: any Christians were fired on or displaced due to fire—they lost everything. Most of them lost at least 1 close person, and there are immense material losses. The bombings forced the 5th part of the population to move, so the already tense population situation became even worse. intellectual suffering is besides a problem. all day people hear Israeli drones and hear bombings all day. Many have already fled the country, and many shops are closed.
Local churches (because there are at least 10 different Christian communities in Lebanon) disagree in their assessment of the situation, depending on what happened to them or where they are located. Everyone agrees that war should halt for the sake of the Lebanese people. All Christian communities have opened churches, monasteries, and schools to aid the displaced, whether Christian or not.
What do you think the future of Christians in the mediate East will be? Thousands of them have already fled Iraq and Syria, and Lebanon has ceased to be a Christian country in the last decades. What should the faithful do to preserve Christendom’s presence in the region?
Their future will surely be demanding due to wars and disastrous economical situation, forcing them to abandon their homeland (if they do not die earlier). Young, educated people travel abroad to live a decent life, and in any lands Christians produce less children than Muslims. Things are not good in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, for example.
What holds any on the ground is faith, attachment to their land, and support from abroad. The specified fact that the French (and besides the nations of Europe) did not forget them, and even come to these countries to aid them, makes a large difference in their morale and motivation to remain.
God bless the conversation!
Philip Adamus spoke
