Time for Christian leaders to take the next step
The Qornet Shehwan Gathering’s leading lights met with the Maronite patriarch Friday,
and their public position was almost exactly what it needs to be. After their talks with
Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, the Christian politicians expressed disappointment at
vociferous criticism of resolutions adopted by this week’s Maronite World Congress in
Los Angeles but indicated that they would not incorporate the body’s more
controversial decisions into their own strategy. What was missing was the next step.
Jbeil MP Fares Soueid, who along with Kesrouan MP Mansour Bone attended the Los Angeles
meeting, made it plain that members of Lebanon’s Christian community “know very
well that their only guarantee is national reconciliation.” These are fine
sentiments, as are those expressed when Qornet Shehwan and other Christian groupings
insist that they want dialogue over the thorny issue of Syria’s role here. In
addition, Christians and their political leaders have much to contribute to several facets
of the overhaul that the Lebanese state so badly needs. From reconciling wartime enemies
and creating a new electoral law to reforming the public sector and granting independence
to the judiciary, many members of the Christian community have been at the forefront of
welcome demands for change.
But for criticism to be constructive, it has to propose solutions. Likewise, for debate to
be healthy, it has to include both an understanding of how the “other side”
thinks and the reasons that make it do so. Despite many positive steps, this is what
the country’s Christian leaders have yet to do. This is not to say that other
religious communities here have been paragons of progressiveness, but since those of the
Christian faith regularly express the strongest aversions to the status quo, a special
onus is on them to formulate alternatives and sell them to their compatriots by
demonstrating how they will help all Lebanese.
Many of the hopes and dreams entertained by Christians are completely identical to those
of people from other communities, and not just in terms of general ambitions like better
futures for their children. But until they flesh out precisely what they want in terms of
government structures and far-reaching reforms, each side will remain suspicious that the
other has some kind of “hidden motives.” And so the goals they have in common
will remain unrealized, not because inherent conflicts of interest prevent them from
cooperating but rather because unfounded accusations keep them from trusting one another.
The proceedings of the Maronite World Congress have been described by some as proof that
Lebanese expatriates are “out of touch” with the situation in Lebanon itself.
That may or may not be true, but one thing is certain: The dispute here over the meeting
has shown just how badly the country’s various communities have failed to communicate
with one another. We have been engaged in a dialogue of the deaf in which everyone wants
to do the talking. But what makes a dialogue different from a shouting match is that
people actually listen to other points of view. People who harangue one another are highly
unlikely to gain mutual understanding.
The people of Lebanon have spent too much time fighting the civil war and then debating
its aftermath to waste another second living by the feud. To do this, they must be
well-led by intelligent politicians whose focus is on the future rather than on the past.
Qornet Shehwan’s members have the potential to perform such a function but have thus
far failed to make use of their talents and opportunities. Perhaps the fallout from the
Maronite World Congress will be enough to remind them that there is still much work to be
done and that should they abdicate their responsibility to carry it out, the
consequences for all Lebanese can only be continued bickering, prolonged paralysis, and
unnecessary hardship.
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