One might think that this kind of meeting primarily serves to elevate the soul and ease one’s conscience…
In fact, the morning meeting with Archbishop Armash Nalbandian, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Syria, was a good opportunity to gain a better understanding of the real situation of Christians in the East during these tumultuous and, for them, tragic times.
From this gathering, which brought together representatives of different faiths within Nice Fraternity, one could take away a feeling of emotion and spiritual solidarity, with current political considerations having no place in this context.
It was appreciated that no aggression or intolerance was found in the explanations and words of the prelate, the spiritual leader of a community of approximately 100,000 Armenians living in Syria, but just a recurring expression: the word “peace”!
And the request to try to understand what is happening in these lands without the prism of our own convictions, the frameworks of understanding the events, and the interpretation of facts that are ours and do not necessarily apply to populations with their own culture and history.
For Archbishop Nalbandian, peace and brotherhood among the populations of all religious faiths is the path to be found to end this conflict.
In fact, it is what brings us back to the human dimension of our… shared life!
Finally, let us remember that this stricken land, a battleground for religious beliefs and, incidentally, geopolitical influences, was one of the cradles of Christianity and the place where the apostle Paul began his evangelization of the peoples at Antioch.
This convivial morning was a beautiful initiative by the Mayor of Nice that deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated at its full value.
