‘Peace begins in our hearts’: WeBelieve hears from communities living through war

‘What is peace? What are we called to do to build peace and become a peacemaker? Can we imagine a world without bloodshed?’

Peace begins in the human heart, Fr Michel Abboud, regional superior of the Discalced Carmelites in Lebanon and former president of Caritas Lebanon, said in a talk hosted by Cafod on 25 July at the WeBelieve festival at St Mary’s College, Oscott.

“My generation has never known Lebanon completely free from war, yet we know the peace of Christ and try to be peacemakers in our families and communities,” Fr Abboud said.

“Lebanon knows the beauty of living together but also the pain of division. Conflict does not only destroy buildings – it changes how we look at each other, and the pain remains once the fighting is over.

“Jesus does not say blessed are those who love peace or blessed are those who avoid conflict, but blessed are the peacemakers,” he continued.

“Shalom in Hebrew means healing, wholeness. In Lebanon people of all faiths greet each other with as-salamu alaykum: ‘peace be with you’.

“The world speaks of peace as a result of power, control or fear – something that comes when one side defeats the other. Christ shows another way when he says ‘My peace I give to you. I do not give it as the world gives’.

“Peace is a person before it is a programme. As Christians our first mission is to live in Christ, so that his peace becomes visible in our lives.”

Fr Abboud, who also works as a teacher and coach and appears on Lebanese television, continued: “We must ask: Where is there anger in my own life? Where have I refused to forgive?

“Thomas Merton said the root of war is fear. Fear leads to suspicion, which leads to anger, which leads to hatred, which leads to violence. War also begins in the human heart, before it becomes visible in society.

“When God becomes the centre of our life, we no longer need power or recognition – we are free to love. Peace sometimes means admitting we were wrong.

“But does not mean allowing injustice or expecting victims to remain silent. The Church stands with the weak. Peace requires truth, justice, mercy and love. These values cannot be separated.”

Fr Abboud said that forgiveness is “essential”: “choosing freedom instead of bitterness, refusing to hang onto hatred”, and that it is sometimes necessary to take the first step to reconciliation, instead of waiting for the other person.

He referred to St Francis of Assisi’s greeting “May the Lord give peace” and the “remarkable episode” when he went to meet the sultan to try to negotiate an end to the violence of the Fifth Crusade.

“Peace begins when we stop seeing people as enemies but as persons made in the image of God,” he continued. “Peace lives in kitchens, shelters, hospitals and prisons. Jesus does not ask us to solve all the world’s problems in one go, but to bring his peace into our everyday lives.”

Fr Abboud told The Tablet that, amid the current displacement and destruction in Lebanon, “Unfortunately, we are working to keep our people alive, starting with food and medicine.

“Cafod has become a peacemaker in Lebanon by helping families in need – this is not just material assistance, but opens the door to peace, dignity, and hope.

“The Church is also playing a role in raising a voice for peace and telling all her children: ‘You are children of God, so you must make peace, not revenge’.

“We are gathering all the religious communities together to say, ‘We want peace. Do not go back to civil war.’ Thank God, most groups’ intention is for peace.”

Fr Abboud expressed thanks for the festival: “It’s a sign that God is present. It’s a sign that the Church is acting.”

He also thanked “every human being who thinks about the suffering people in Lebanon, the Middle East and across the whole world”: “When we have this spirit, the world becomes good.”

Cafod had a stall at the festival where attendees could pray for peace, and a Cafod volunteer lit a candle and said a prayer for those affected by violence during the opening Mass.

Fr Yakoub Rafidi, parish priest from Ramallah in Palestine, also addressed the gathering, speaking to the crowds assembled for the Saturday Mass.

“The Church of Jerusalem continues to carry the cross,” he said. “The first challenge is the ongoing war on Gaza, where people live in fear, deprived of basic human rights.”

He said in the West Bank they also experience restrictions on movement and uncertainty for the future, as well as an economic crisis caused by the war, which means that many families feel forced to leave.

“This is the disappearance of a community of Christians that has kept the faith alive since the time of the apostles,” said Fr Rafidi.

“But sustained by the words of Jesus, we pray that peace may reign once again in his land. Our hope does not rest in political or economic solutions but in Jesus Christ.

“The Church of Jerusalem is the Church of Calvary but also of the resurrection. Your prayers and support are signs of our unity as one Body of Christ. If one member suffers, they all suffer.”

Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia Mark O’Toole assured Fr Rafidi of the solidarity of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales: “Our hearts are with you.”

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