The self-immolation of a young Tunisian in December 2010 sparked off a chain reaction of civil protests and unrest against despotic and ruthless regimes in many Arab countries.
Almost three years down the line, the initial wave of optimism for what was labelled the Arab Spring has evaporated and the hopes that these countries were on the road to harmonious development are now largely in tatters.
However, few countries have suffered such unbelievable brutality and violence as that of Syria. The despicable use of chemical weapons last month underscores the horrific consequences faced by non-combatants and civilians.
US President Obama feels that the use of chemical weapons in Syria justifies what he terms a surgical military strike against the regime. Yet, with cynicism, one questions why the butchery of 100,000 thousand people (half of them civilians) by conventional methods should be considered less reprehensible.
In this bleak scenario, the very grave and unpredictable outcome that will result from such an escalation of this conflict has focussed public opinion as never before.
A chorus of Christian leaders in Syria, representing communities that go back two millennia, have all appealed against the logic of military intervention, claiming this will only make a terrible situation much worse.
The civil war in Syria is being fed by money and weapons from abroad. The Greek Melkite Patriarch condemned Eastern and Western countries that are sending weapons to the country, and said the impact of military shipments is “far more dangerous”, even than the use of chemical weapons.
As Christians we cannot adopt a stance of neutrality or, worse still, indifference in the face of such human suffering. Pope Francis has made this eminently clear in his redoubled efforts to galvanise men of good will to commit themselves with renewed vigour to seek peace.
It will never be an armed intervention to open the path to true peace
With forcefulness, he said: “It will never be an armed intervention to open the path to true peace. War calls for war, blood calls for blood. Every action of that kind does nothing but worsen the situation.”
With unprecedented urgency and vigour, Pope Francis has used his authority to draw all Catholics, Christians, other faiths and men of good will to commit themselves to peace and dedicated September 7 to penance and fasting.
For those of us who followed the event televised worldwide the impact of his message was clear. He insisted on the path of encounter, not conflict. He emphasised the desperate need for dialogue, forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.
In his powerful address, he castigated the mindset of Cain that has scarred humanity and stressed that we can change direction, warning that the alternative to harmony is not just lack of harmony, but chaos.
On the diplomatic front, Pope Francis has worked tirelessly at every level and also presented diplomats with a six-point plan to address the crisis, insisting above all on the safeguarding of national boundaries and the protection of all groups and minorities who should have a stake in their countries’ destiny.
We are on the brink of unprecedented levels of sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing throughout the Middle East. The evil of corrupt dictators is being replaced by the evil of radicalised Islamic regimes that are not only intensely hostile to Christians but also to fellow Moslems of different sects.
The Pope’s intervention comes not a moment too soon. The consequences of further violence will be catastrophic and Malta will be sucked into the maelstrom of unfolding events due to its vulnerability and geographical proximity.
As Christians, we believe in the power of prayer and the possibility of peaceful and harmonious co-existence that respects the innate dignity of our fellow men.
All this may seem far-fetched and naive but history has its lessons in the message of peace. Pope John XXIII definitely played a role in defusing the Cuban missile crisis, which had the world on the brink of a nuclear war. John Paul II played an instrumental role in promoting the largely non-violent rejection of the unjust political oppression in Poland and Eastern Europe.
Let us hope that good will prevails and that we all do our share to live up to Pope Francis’ appeal in defusing hatred and violence.
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