The President of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, Eric Ciotti, and Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, Director of the association L’Oeuvre d’Orient, signed a partnership agreement in Nice last Thursday. The General Council wished to support the association’s actions. It granted €25,000 in subsidies, with the aim of helping Christians in the East, who are persecuted in Iraq and Syria.
The partnership agreement for the year 2015 was signed by Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch and Eric Ciotti in the presence of Father Gil Florini, Diocesan Delegate of L’Oeuvre d’Orient in Nice. Since August 2014, Christians in the East have been persecuted, chased, and killed, especially in Iraq and Syria. L’Oeuvre d’Orient comes to their aid by supporting the actions of bishops and priests from a dozen Eastern Catholic Churches. Thanks to its 100,000 donors, the association provides material assistance to more than 60 religious congregations that intervene with everyone, regardless of religious affiliation. Given the dramatic context, the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes decided to support Christian families in the East through the actions of the association.
“It was important to participate in the defense of these Eastern Christians who are martyred at home, in Iraq and Syria, unfortunately, solely because they are Christians. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled their homes, their land, their roots -under the advance of the Islamic State-. […] Faced with this blind violence, the Christians of the East, -ignored for too long- are faced with a dilemma: come to France, a country that would offer them safety, or remain in their homelands,” deplored Eric Ciotti.
Monsignor Pascal Gollnisch, for his part, praised the initiative of the General Council. “I am touched that a General Council can commit so strongly to this action. These Christians were still numerous at the beginning of the 20th century. They accounted for 40% of the population. In some countries, they are now only 2 or 3%.[…] In these countries, Christians are an important minority. They play a role of moderation. Moreover, in Lebanon, it is thanks to the presence of Christians that dialogue between Druze, Shiites, and Sunnis was possible. Generally, they have not taken up arms; they are a current of peace, relationship, and communication. They are moderators and play a key role in the Middle East, where they help their countries open up to an external culture.”
“Where religious freedom is trampled, it is often other freedoms that are violated,” emphasized Monsignor Gollnisch.
Eric Ciotti, Monsignor P. Gollnisch, and Father Gil Florini all three emphasized the need for deep reflection following the events that occurred in Paris last week. They hope this will provoke thought. “It is truly the future of Europe that is at stake. Daesh* has clearly stated that it wants Europe. We have to realize that without airstrikes, hundreds of thousands of Christians would have died,” declared the Director of L’Oeuvre d’Orient.
