Religion

At a time of rising regional particularisms, under the effect of the war in Gaza, the Pope's recent visit to Lebanon, particularly to Annaya, takes on a special dimension for Maronites. It should be an opportunity for this community to activate its historical research on an academic level and to refresh its memory on the "missionary" nature of its presence in Lebanon as a historical core of Lebanese identity. Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to Annaya on December 1, 2025, should be the first groundbreaking of a Maronite historical project “revisited.” Beyond the person of Saint Charbel, the Pope indeed went to the source of the Lebanese Maronite Order (OLM), which encapsulates the essence of the Maronite Church. In Annaya, we are also at the source of Greater Lebanon, of which John Paul II affirmed that “its historical roots are religious in nature.” Here we touch upon its genesis. In the first paragraphs of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation “A New Hope for Lebanon” (1997), John Paul II writes: “During the Eucharistic celebration concluding the synodal assembly, I said: ‘We know how much Lebanon needs to build and rebuild (…). I also emphasized that the commitment of Christians is important for Lebanon, whose historical roots are religious in nature. And it is precisely because of these religious roots of Lebanese national and political identity that, after the hard years of war, a synodal assembly was desired and made possible, in order to jointly seek the path of faith renewal, better collaboration, and more effective common witness, without forgetting the reconstruction of society.’ (Cf. also John Paul II, Homily at the closing Mass of the Special Assembly for Lebanon of the Synod of Bishops, December 14, 1995).” The Pope's visit goes in two directions: it should first be an opportunity to revive and popularize one of the most exciting sequences in Maronite history: that of the human and spiritual adventure of three laymen from Aleppo who founded, in the Holy Valley, the Kadisha, the Lebanese Maronite Order (1695); and particularly of that extraordinary figure of sanctity that Abdallah Carali, the heart of this undertaking, must be. One could easily imagine the University of Kaslik founding a historical study center for the Maronite Church, in the immediate vicinity of the tomb of such a great miracle worker. The popularization of Carali's life should also be possible, perhaps initially in a comic strip. The Pope's presence in Annaya should then be an opportunity to refresh the memory of the Maronites on the “missionary” nature of their presence in Lebanon as an Eastern Church, in communion with Rome and a historical core of Lebanese identity. Given the geopolitical upheaval affecting the Middle East, it is high time to awaken from our intellectual and relational lethargy and realize that Greater Lebanon was a turning point where, from self-responsibility, the Maronites transitioned to a historical responsibility for others, and that this transition had important consequences that they have not yet fully measured. “The Vicissitudes of the Phoenix” The French historian Candice Raymond, associate researcher at the IFPO (Beirut), masterfully retraces the historical course of the Lebanese project in a study published in the Revue Tiers Monde (number 216 - 2013, Armand Colin editions). Titled “Life, Death, and Resurrection of the History of Lebanon, or the Vicissitudes of the Phoenix,” the study “retraces the history of ‘the history of Lebanon,’ a historical discourse consubstantial with the formation of the State, the very relevance of which was initially disputed and its main statements contested. It then reports on the processes by which this historiography reconfigured itself, so as to be able to form, after the civil war, the basis of a national history at a minimum and by default, but which testifies to an unprecedented tightening of positions within Lebanese society and a desire for consensus more widely shared than the persistence of intercommunal divisions would suggest.” Candice Raymond's entire study is fascinating, but particularly the section concerning the “creation” of Greater Lebanon. The author writes: “In the aftermath of the First World War, when the territorial question arose, proponents of the creation of a Lebanese state developed both economic and historical arguments to obtain the addition to Mount Lebanon, which had enjoyed an autonomous sanjak status since 1861, of various peripheral territories (Tripoli and Akkar to the North, the Beqaa plain to the East, Sidon and Jabal Amil to the South) and especially Beirut, which they wished to make the capital of the new state. The rhetoric of perpetual struggle against oppression was then replaced by a teleology of state power that distinguishes Maronite communal historiography from Maronite Libanist historiography. The latter effectively reverses the relationship uniting the Maronite community to Lebanese territory. It is no longer the community that, through its struggle for freedom, attributes its particular identity to the territory it occupies, but this territory which, due to its morphological and geographical specificities, imposes a mission and an identity on its occupants. The geographical parallelism of the marine coast and the Lebanese mountain indeed finds its counterpart in a dual functionality of the territory: that of Lebanon of exchange, between the sea and the continent, between East and West, and that of Lebanon-as-refuge, a sanctuary of freedom and independence. The State therefore plunges its roots into the political experiences that achieved unity between these two missions, while the Nation bases its specific identity there.” Our Historical Determinisms Every Lebanese should deepen this knowledge which, ultimately, is self-knowledge and knowledge of one's historical determinisms. We must put an end to the timid retreat into "little Lebanon" advocated by some. There was a time when "Greater Lebanon" was put at the service of "Little Lebanon". That time is no more. Certainly, one can understand it, the history of Greater Lebanon, whose centenary we celebrated, has not been easy. The last fifty years of our existence as a State have been painful from all points of view. But they must be assumed in the very name of our “religious” roots. As Maronites, we are inseparably, but without confusion, Church and community. But it is the Church that founds the community. Ontologically, we are first and foremost Church, with the responsibility that every Church must assume; that of being “catholic” in the original sense of the term, that is to say, inclusive and “universal.”

Is the mullahs' regime loosening its grip on the mandatory wearing of the Islamic veil, or is it granting a temporary relaxation to appease an exasperated population? One thing is certain: in recent years, women have increasingly defied the strict rules of the Islamic Republic, and a wind of freedom is blowing through the streets of Iran. Women dancing at parties or chatting in cafes... without headscarves. Images unimaginable until recently are multiplying. Braids, curly hair, or bleached hair are now making their mark in public spaces, alongside more traditional women wearing the hijab or the chador. This phenomenon, more visible in recent months in Tehran and other major cities, is now affecting all generations to varying degrees. Some women are also increasingly wearing tighter clothing or revealing their shoulders, legs, or navels, much to the dismay of some conservatives who condemn what they call their "nudity." Yet, a growing number of women are appearing bareheaded in public, despite the repression that struck the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement in 2022 and 2023, following the death in custody of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, arrested by the morality police for violating the strict dress code. A Divided Power This relative relaxation comes as Iran emerged weakened from the 12-day war against Israel last June, and as the succession of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989 and is 86 years old, looms. The wearing of the veil, however, remains a divisive issue, even within the government. President Massoud Pezeshkian believes that women cannot be forced to wear the veil. Last year, his administration refused to enact a law, passed by Parliament, that would have drastically increased penalties for women who do not wear the veil or wear it improperly. While Iranian authorities have indeed relaxed their stance on wearing the veil in public, they are not yet ready to abandon this pillar of the Islamic Republic, analysts and activists point out, warning that a sudden backlash is possible. According to Arash Azizi of Yale University in the United States, "the regime has abandoned strict enforcement of the mandatory veil, but it has not abandoned the principle itself." "That would be a huge ideological concession that it is not prepared to make. But it knows it will be very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle," the researcher adds. The Supreme Leader's office itself was criticized by some ultraconservatives after publishing a photo in November of Niloufar Ghalehvand, a Pilates instructor killed during the war with Israel, showing her without a headscarf, wearing only a baseball cap. During Design Week at Tehran University in November, women without headscarves could be seen walking through the exhibitions. However, the event had to close earlier than planned after protests from religious dignitaries. Intensified repression The head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stated that intelligence agencies should report "networks promoting immorality and the failure to wear the headscarf," promising that his department would take action. In early December, the Supreme Leader defended the hijab in a speech, stating that women who wear the headscarf "progress more than others in all fields and play an active role in society and in their homes." While images of unveiled and joyful women may give an impression of widespread freedom, repression has intensified in recent months following the war with Israel, activist organizations warn. More than 1,400 executions have already taken place this year, according to NGOs, and groups, notably the Baha'is, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, are facing increased persecution. 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who had been out on bail since December 2024 and never covers her head, was arrested again on December 12 in Mashhad after speaking at a ceremony honoring a lawyer found dead in early December.

From biblical meals to the Eucharist, and, more recently, to the dialogue in Abu Dhabi, Christian fraternity is lived through conviviality and sharing. This is the fourth and final installment of our series. Christianity is, at its heart, convivial. One need only note how many of the Gospel’s most striking scenes unfold around a meal, and how much teaching the Lord delivers at the table. It is a place of shared hospitality, of upended social boundaries, of joyful fraternity and communion. At the Eucharist – the central event of Christian life – the table becomes an altar. It was over a meal that the idea for the 2019 Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity was born, co-signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar. According to America Today (1 December 2020; see also the Egyptian site albawaba), the meal took place in May 2016, following a working session in the Vatican Library. The discussion marked a renewal of dialogue between the Catholic Church and al-Azhar, the great Sunni institution, after several years of tension. Relations between the Holy See and al-Azhar had broken off following the attack on the Coptic cathedral in Alexandria on 1 January 2011: Benedict XVI had stressed the need to protect Christians in Egypt and across the Middle East – a statement that the Egyptian institution regarded as undue Western interference. In short, at the end of the working session, Pope Francis spontaneously asked the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyeb, “Do you have plans? Are you having lunch somewhere?” When nothing was arranged, the Pope offered: “May I invite you to lunch?” It was over this very meal that the idea of drafting a joint document on human fraternity was first proposed. According to Mohammad Sammak, Secretary-General of the National Committee for Islamic–Christian Dialogue, the lunch took place at the Domus Sanctae Marthae. As the Pope himself later told the press, the significance of the encounter was clear: “The meeting is the message.” “The Francis Method”: Fraternity in Action During the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Nostra aetate (28 October 2025), Leon XIV reflected on the event and paid tribute to what he called the “Francis method” of interreligious dialogue: lived fraternity. “One of the hallmarks of Pope Francis’s pontificate has been the pursuit of universal fraternity,” he said. “On this point, the Holy Spirit has truly ‘pushed’ him to advance with great momentum the openings and initiatives already undertaken by his predecessors, especially from the time of Saint John XXIII. The Pope has promoted both the ecumenical path and interreligious dialogue, doing so above all by cultivating personal relationships, so that – without diminishing ecclesial bonds – the human aspect of encounter is always valued. May God help us to learn from his example!” In the same session, Leon XIV added: “Dialogue is not a tactic or a tool, but a way of life – a journey of the heart that transforms all who take part, both the listener and the speaker.” “Outside the Church, There is No Salvation” Thanks to this “journey of the heart,” the approach to the texts is no longer what it was in the early centuries, when the priority was defending the unity of the Church against schisms and heresies, and upholding the centrality of faith in Christ. “Outside the Church, there is no salvation!” was the prevailing dictum. At the time, this meant that eternal salvation required formal recognition of Christ and that the Catholic Church was the place where grace was received, particularly through the sacraments of initiation – baptism and confirmation. Since Vatican II, the development of a theology of the Spirit of truth operating beyond the visible boundaries of the Church has allowed this principle to be interpreted in a less exclusive manner. Certainly, according to the Churches of the world, salvation still comes from God through Christ, and the Church, as the mystical body of Christ, remains the universal sacrament of salvation – the ordinary sign and means through which God acts and saves from sin and its consequences. Yet, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, those who are not formal members of these Churches can be saved if, through no fault of their own, they have not known the Gospel and sincerely seek the truth of God, following their conscience and the “ray of truth” that their religion has manifested to them (paragraphs 846–848). Drawing on a rarely studied affirmation in the Gaudium et spes Constitution of Vatican II, French theologian Vincent Guibert underscores this orientation of the magisterium: “The Holy Spirit offers to all, in a way known to God, the possibility of being associated with the paschal mystery” (22, 5). Nostra aetate expresses no different vision.

“Nostra aetate” profoundly reshaped dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. From John Paul II to Pope Francis, the Holy See has pursued its work of encounter and fraternity. This is the third installment in our series. It is hard to overstate the impact of the 1965 declaration Nostra aetate on relations between the Catholic Church and the Arab-Muslim world. To grasp this fully, nothing is more helpful than reading the text itself, which presents no dogmatic difficulty. Here is the passage that concerns us directly: “(…) The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.” Mapping the “cradle” of Christianity Between 1985 and 2001, building on this solid doctrinal foundation, Pope John Paul II made a series of striking gestures: his address in Casablanca before 80,000 young Muslims, urging them to “believe together in the one God” (1985); the Assisi prayer for peace with representatives of all religions (1986); the Synod for Lebanon, which included Muslim “fraternal observers” (1995); and his historic visit to Syria and to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus (2001). In the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI – and above all his successor, Pope Francis – continued the task of spiritually mapping the “cradle” of Christianity, that region where Christian faith is now lived out within a Muslim environment, Lebanon being the notable exception. It is Pope Francis who has achieved, in terms of interreligious dialogue, the most significant breakthrough, thanks to the Document on Human Fraternity signed in Abu Dhabi (2019) together with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyeb, and to the encyclical Fratelli tutti (2020), which develops its message. The encyclical states in particular: “Issues of human fraternity and social friendship have always been a concern of mine (…). I have felt particularly encouraged by the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, with whom I met in Abu Dhabi, where we declared that ‘”God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sister’. This was no mere diplomatic gesture, but a reflection born of dialogue and common commitment. The present Encyclical takes up and develops some of the great themes raised in the Document that we both signed. (…) I offer this social Encyclical as a modest contribution to continued reflection, in the hope that in the face of present-day attempts to eliminate or ignore others, we may prove capable of responding with a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words. Although I have written it from the Christian convictions that inspire and sustain me, I have sought to make this reflection an invitation to dialogue among all people of good will.” ( Fratelli tutti 5 and 6) Abrahamic Family House These principles have since been given tangible form in several initiatives, the most notable being the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. Inaugurated in 2023, the complex brings together a mosque, a church, and a synagogue within a shared space – a venue for education, prayer, and encounter. Yet attitudes have not progressed at the same pace everywhere. Saudi Arabia, for instance, still has no diplomatic relations with the Vatican; the construction of churches and the public celebration of religious services outside diplomatic compounds remains forbidden. Nostra aetate and the dialogue it has fostered have taken root primarily within Sunni Islam, the majority branch, which accounts for 85 to 90 per cent of Muslims worldwide. Yet the council document’s call for openness is universal. It notably inspired Pope Francis to meet Grand Ayatollah Sistani during his trip to Iraq in 2021. The theme of the visit – “You are all brothers” – echoed the message of Fratelli tutti .

In our first article, we looked at the circumstances that gave rise to Nostra aetate , the Vatican II declaration on the Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions. Clear and precise, the text leaves nothing in the shadows and avoids a different “substitution”: replacing the Church’s mission with dialogue. But that is another story. Regarding the Jews, Nostra aetate explicitly rejects the notion of collective responsibility for Christ’s death, as some have interpreted passages of the Gospel, including the crowd’s cry: “His blood be on us and on our children!” It makes clear that “what happened during the Passion cannot be ascribed indiscriminately either to all the Jews then living, or to the Jews of today.” A Gesture That Says It All The centuries-long tension between Synagogue and Church was powerfully symbolized by Pope John Paul II during his jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000. At the Western Wall, the Pope, alone and with bowed head, placed a note containing his prayers in a crack between the stones – as Jewish worshippers do. The gesture followed his visit a few days earlier to the Yad Vashem memorial, where he condemned anti-Semitism and honoured the memory of Holocaust victims. The Vatican later published the text of his note: “God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the nations: we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who, through history, have caused suffering to your children, and in asking Your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to living in true fraternity with the people of the Covenant.”(26 March 2000) Not a Diplomatic Pardon In doing so, the Pope acknowledged the suffering inflicted on Jewish communities worldwide after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and asked forgiveness – not a diplomatic pardon, but a plea before God for the pain endured by the “people of the Covenant.” By using this phrase, he emphasized that the covenant with Israel endures, transcending history and independent of the Church’s own mission. The Israeli rabbinate and Jewish communities worldwide rightly saw this as an irreversible turning point in Jewish–Christian relations. Through this declaration, the Catholic Church rejected the doctrine of substitution, which held that all promises made to Israel were transferred to the Church, and rooted the enduring spiritual bond between Christians and Jews in a shared commitment to the will of the God of Abraham.

“Thank you for coming” is probably one of the phrases Leo XIV heard most often during his stay in Lebanon. For many, the popular welcome given to the Pope came as a surprise. Leo XIV praised the “simplicity” of our faith. He must have rediscovered in Lebanon something of the faith of the peasants of Peru, that of a people untouched by the intellectual sophistication of the West. “Wow! Thank you to Peru, and especially to Chiclayo, for having so beautifully shaped this man of God, so full of zeal and compassion,” wrote a retired engineer on Facebook who spent three days glued to the television. Mother Marie Makhlouf, the superior of the Sisters of the Cross, and the two women who received the comfort of his embrace, in Bkerké and at the port, would certainly agree. Now, Pope Leo XIV knows Lebanon intimately, and the people saw the joy of the encounter on their faces. On the plane returning to Rome last Tuesday, the Pope shared some personal reflections that served as commentary on his visit. He spoke of his favorite book, The Practice of the Presence of God , by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a humble 17th-century French monk. “If there is no personal encounter with Jesus Christ, there will be ‘ethnicism disguised as Christianity,’” Pope Francis once said, speaking of peoples who call themselves Christian. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is not as common as one might think. A possible trip to Algeria Leo XIV also spoke of the efforts he is making to ease tensions with Israel and the United States, both personally and through Vatican diplomacy, as the region risks a potential conflagration in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He also confirmed that he had read the open letter addressed to him by the pro-Iranian party, to which he had essentially replied by urging them to renounce arms and choose dialogue. This response was likely conveyed by Sheikh Ali Khatib, president of the Supreme Shiite Council, whom he met at Monday's interfaith meeting, and with whom, according to the Nuncio Paolo Borghia, he subsequently had a private meeting. "Peace," Leo XIV affirmed during the Mass on the Beirut waterfront, "is both an objective and a means." Furthermore, the Pope mentioned his desire to visit Algeria, the homeland of Saint Augustine and a land of Christian-Muslim encounter, after Lebanon. It seems, therefore, that he cherishes this desire, as did all his predecessors. Since Vatican II and the declaration “Nostra Aetate,” the universal Church has made constant efforts to promote dialogue between the Christian and Muslim worlds. This effort has finally borne fruit in the joint declaration on fraternity in Abu Dhabi (2019) and in the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, which reiterated and expanded upon its essence. The Ecumenical Perspective Finally, the Pope spoke of the ecumenical perspective shared by his pilgrimage to ancient Nicaea, the birthplace of the Creed, and to Lebanon. Here too, Leo XIV follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, particularly Benedict XVI, who, in 2012, by presenting the apostolic exhortation from the Synod on the Middle East to the Eastern Churches from Lebanon, entrusted to the Land of the Cedars, the heartland of all Christians in the Middle East, the task of “gathering into unity the scattered children of God.” “It is the one Church of Christ that expresses itself in the variety of liturgical, spiritual, cultural, and disciplinary traditions of the six venerable Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris, as well as in the Latin Tradition,” he said at the opening Mass of the Synod in Rome in 2010. “It is this inner perspective that guided me on my apostolic journeys to Turkey, the Holy Land—Jordan, Israel, and Palestine—and Cyprus, where I was able to experience firsthand the joys and concerns of the Christian communities.” Since then, there have been Francis’s trips to Cairo, Iraq, and Bahrain. But in a Lebanon whose sovereignty had been destroyed by a Hezbollah completely subservient to Iran, delivered into the hands of an unscrupulous oligarchy and senseless internal rivalries among Christian leaders, the Maronite Church was placed at the time before a task that overwhelmed it and was unable to fulfill the mission entrusted to it. Moreover, the Churches singled out by Benedict XVI, due to a paralyzing clericalism, still need to learn today to respect one another, to discern their respective charisms, to listen to one another, and to work together. As Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, so aptly put it, in light of what is happening in Gaza, whose presence in Lebanon during the papal visit was noted: “We are no longer called to build structures, but relationships.” Lebanon, a land of good relations ns and of the "living together" Islamo-Christian, must also become the pioneering land of Christian unity. “We are no longer called upon to build structures, but relationships.” Lebanon, a land of good relations and of Muslim-Christian “living together,” must also become the pioneering land of Christian unity.

In 2019, Pope Francis was the first pope to make an official visit to Abou Dhabi. During this visit, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, made history by jointly signing a document on human fraternity calling for tolerance, universal peace, and reconciliation between all religions. To commemorate this historical visit and in line with the charter of human fraternity, the government of the United Arab Emirates decided to build on Saadiyat Island the Abrahamic Family House, an architectural space of nearly 6,000 square meters dedicated to the three monotheistic religions. Inaugurated in 2023, it includes a church, a mosque, and a synagogue, as well as a forum. Inaugurated in 2023, the project was made possible because the values advocated by the charter on human fraternity are the same as those of the United Arab Emirates, where more than 200 nationalities live together in peace. Convinced that coexistence between religions is possible through dialogue, mutual understanding, and peaceful practice of faith, the government wanted to offer believers (and non-believers) from around the world the opportunity to engage in interreligious dialogue through discussion forums, events, masterclasses, etc., or simply by visiting the three places of worship and getting to know each others faith practicing. The extensive educational program offered by the Abrahamic Family House has been developed in partnership with the best schools and universities in the world. The values of tolerance promoted by the Abrahamic Family House are deeply rooted in the very history of the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, from the early days of Islam, in the 7th and 8th centuries, there is evidence of monasteries and churches on the islands of Sir Bani Yas in Abu Dhabi and Siniya in Umm Al Quwain, proving the presence of a Christian community in the region. There is also evidence of a Jewish community, with the discovery of a tombstone engraved in Hebrew: "Here lies the resting place of David, son of Moses." As for its architecture, the Abrahamic Family House is the work of the Anglo-Ghanaian architect, Sir David Adjaye Omobe, an internationally renowned architect and recipient of the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal. He has completed numerous projects worldwide (the Nobel Prize Center in Oslo, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, the Aïshti Foundation in Beirut, etc.). Sir David is known for his eclectic style and his use of innovative materials. transparency and light, and the creation of symbolic monuments that tell a story combining the intimate with the collective. To embody the purpose and values conveyed by the Abrahamic Family House, he began by identifying the materials usually used in the three worship places : limestone, wood, and bronze. He utilized these materials in the construction of the three places of worship, emphasizing the specificity and religious references of each. He was adamant that the three buildings should be equally beautiful, impressive, and of the same size to avoid any suggestion of hierarchy among the religions. The Ahmed El Tayeb Mosque The mosque was named in honor of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr. Ahmed El Tayeb, co-signer with Pope Francis of the document on human fraternity. The mosque is oriented toward Mecca and features typical details of Islamic religious art, such as the seven arches outside the mosque, symbolizing divine transcendence and spiritual perfection as well as the importance of number seven in Islam. Or the nine vaults that meet inside the mosque to form the ceiling. Or the mashrabiya windows, delicately hand-carved in the purest Arab artisanal tradition, in order to allow daylight to illuminate the mosque's interior while preserving the privacy of worshippers, as well as decorative fiber panels serving as a partition between men and women. Saint Francis Church As its name indicates, the church is dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century saint, friend of the poor, patron saint and protector of Pope Francis. It is oriented eastward toward the sunrise, the sun symbolizing the light of God and His glory in Christianity. It is adorned with a forest of columns also facing east. The reflection of light enhances the vertical impression of these columns, which represent both the incarnation of Christ (descending light) and his resurrection (ascending light). More than 13,000 linear meters of wood form the church's vault. The wooden slats arranged in a bundle above the altar refer to the rays of the sun and recall the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Moses Maimonides Synagogue The synagogue is oriented toward Jerusalem. It was named after a great 12 th -century Jewish philosopher, Moses Maimonides. The synagogue is built as a shelter for prayer. Its lattice facade echoes the palm branches used by worshippers to build the sukkah or hut during the Sukkot festivals, commemorating the exile of the Jewish people in Sinai and the end of their slavery. The facade protects from the sun during the day and allows a view of the stars at night. A bronze chainmail adorns the inside of the synagogue. It represents a chuppah, or wedding canopy, under which Jewish couples stand during marriage ceremonies. In a world where tolerance and peace among humans are sorely lacking, such an initiative challenges us and can only be welcomed and respected.

The Vatican and the global Catholic community, including Lebanon, are currently marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate , the declaration promulgated by Pope Paul VI on the Catholic Church’s relationship with non-Christian religions. In Lebanon, a conference was held in Bkerké on November 8 to commemorate the event. The statement has often been called prophetic , and rightly so. It was written at a moment when, despite growing contact between peoples through modern transport and communication, religion was increasingly being used as a tool of violence across the five continents. The culture of religious and racial hatred had reached its darkest point in Europe during World War II, with the Holocaust and the extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazis. “Rays of truth” At the heart of Nostra Aetate lies a key principle: every religion carries “a ray of truth”. The declaration states: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere respect those ways of acting and living, those rules and teachings which, though differing from what she holds and teaches, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men… She encourages her sons, through prudence and charity, through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, to recognize, preserve, and promote the spiritual, moral, and socio-cultural values found among them.” Origins and development Nostra Aetate has deep roots in the Holocaust, one of the most painful episodes of World War II. In 1947, Jewish and Christian thinkers gathered in Seelisberg (Switzerland), at the initiative of the British “Council of Christians and Jews”, to reflect on the causes of Christian anti-Judaism and racial antisemitism. One of the speakers was the French Jewish historian Jules Isaac, who had lost his wife and daughter in the camps. A year earlier, he had completed his book Jesus and Israel , analyzing the Christian roots of religious anti-Judaism and calling for Jewish-Christian dialogue. In 1960, Isaac met Pope John XXIII and handed him a dossier urging changes in Christian teaching about Jews, who were still referred to in certain liturgies as the “deicide people.” John XXIII asked Cardinal Augustin Bea to draft a text on Jews as part of the preparation for Vatican II. The original project focused solely on Jewish–Christian relations. It was titled Decretum de Iudaeis (“Decree on the Jews”). But bishops from the Melkite and Maronite Churches expressed concerns, fearing the text would be misunderstood in Muslim-majority societies. Among them were the Greek-Catholic Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh and Bishop Georges Hakim (later Patriarch Maximos V). They argued that in their countries (Lebanon, Syria, Egypt…), interreligious relations primarily involved Muslims and Christians. Limiting the document to Judaism risked appearing detached from local realities and giving the impression of diplomatic support to the newly established State of Israel (1948). Patriarch Maximos IV famously insisted: “We live in the midst of the Muslim world. It would not be wise for this document to speak only of the Jewish people without mentioning Muslims, our brothers descended from Abraham… We ask that Islam also be included.” The declaration was therefore expanded to include all non-Christian religions, especially Islam. Though short, Nostra Aetate became the cornerstone of modern Catholic interreligious dialogue. Clear and concise, it avoids another misunderstanding: replacing mission with dialogue. The document also rejects the idea of collective Jewish responsibility for the death of Christ, countering interpretations of Gospel passages such as “Let his blood be upon us and our children.” It states clearly that the Passion “cannot be blamed neither on all Jews living at that time nor on Jews today.” A gesture that said everything The long and painful history between the Synagogue and the Church was powerfully summarized by a gesture of Pope John Paul II during his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000. At the Western Wall, the Pope stood alone and placed a written prayer between the stones, as Jewish worshippers do. Days earlier, he had visited Yad Vashem, condemning antisemitism and honoring Holocaust victims. The Vatican later published the text of his prayer: “God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who, throughout history, have caused your children to suffer, and asking your forgiveness, we commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.” More than a diplomatic apology The Pope acknowledged the suffering endured by Jewish communities dispersed across the world since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and asked forgiveness — not politically, but before God. By referring to Jews as the “people of the Covenant”, he affirmed that God’s covenant with Israel is not revoked and remains valid beyond history. The Israeli rabbinate and Jewish communities worldwide recognized this moment as a decisive turning point in Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, the Catholic Church formally rejected the “theology of substitution” — the belief that all promises made to Israel had passed to the Church — and instead grounded the permanence of the spiritual bond between Christians and Jews in a shared fidelity to the will of the God of Abraham. Next article: Dialogue with Islam.