“We cannot close doors and hearts. We must open both, so that peace is possible in the Holy Land ” .
Il direttore della Caritas Giordania, Wael Suleiman, lancia un messaggio positivo anche nella drammaticità di questo momento: per uscire dalla guerra bisogna avere il coraggio di pensare alla pace.
The Middle East has been a land of conflict and instability for decades. What is the role of Caritas today?
For 75 years this Middle East has not been able to stabilize, it has not been able to live a moment of peace. And the results? Millions of refugees, millions of people who have lost homes and jobs, and millions of deaths. The role of Caritas, the right arm of the Catholic Church in the Middle East, is not to give answers, it is impossible to give an answer to everything that is happening. We only try to love people, but with a concrete love, not a love in words. This means helping with concrete actions to give at least a little hope. To imagine a better tomorrow than today.
And today, what are the most urgent needs of people living in war zones?
The essential need is to eat, to take care of oneself. Medicines are urgently needed: there are 3 million people who need them. There is a need for milk for small children. Then, one day, if we manage to stop hatred and wars, then we can also think about other things; psychological support, for example. But right now it is impossible, now the urgency is to survive.
What can you do?
We manage to get aid through a humanitarian corridor; in this way people do not feel abandoned by the rest of the world. I see a beautiful communion between peoples to get this concrete love : and it is a very beautiful thing. The people who live this war know it, they feel it.
Is there hope for peace?
We must work in parallel for peace, defending the idea of peace and sending, again, a positive message: in the Middle East, and especially in the Holy Land, peace is possible. It is now, right now. We must do everything we can to achieve this goal. The Middle East must live in peace.
Do you really believe it’s possible?
We cannot close doors and hearts. We must open both so that this love can reach those who need it. Of course the situation is dramatic, but here, in twenty-five years, I have seen miracles! You can think of running away from here – and sometimes I have thought about it – but we stay because we believe that one day it will be better. We must have the courage to hope, today, and to stay here and change, to learn to see with new eyes. Because life does not offer death, but life itself. It is not easy, but not impossible either.
