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‫المـارونــي‬
‫الـبـطـريـركـي‬
‫المجـمـع‬
ّ
ّ
S ynode Patriarcal M aronite
‫األمانـة العامـة‬
Secrétariat Général
File III
The Maronite Church in Today’s World
Text 18
The Maronite Church and Culture
FOREWORD
First : The Importance of Culture: Definition
1.
It has become common knowledge today that the cultural dimension of human life
considered both individually and collectively, represents an essential element in the development of
human societies and in their reciprocal interactions. The Church recognizes the fact that it is only
through culture that a human being develops.1 Christian faith is itself linked to different cultures
which in turn reflect it. This is what brought His Holiness John Paul II to say: “Had it not been for
culture, faith would have been neither fully acceptable, nor fully reasonable nor properly lived.”2
Vatican II had so highly emphasized this matter to the point that it was said that that the event of
that Council and the message it brought with it represented a Cultural Revolution. This same
Council defines culture as follows: “it is all what the human being depends on in order to sharpen
and strengthen his many intellectual and physical faculties seeking to subdue the world through
knowledge and work. By virtue of the development in laws and ethics, he also aims at giving a
human face to life in its social and family contexts. In his pursuit of this endeavor, he also depends
on translating, publishing, and archiving over the years great spiritual experiences and major human
passions so that they can be used to further the progress of a greater number of people”3.
Culture, therefore, encompasses most of the human dimensions of thinking, behaving, and
feeling in man’s tribunal relationship with himself, nature, and God. This also means that culture is
not a static matter, a frigid element referring to the identity of the Church which it (culture) carries.
It is rather a permanently evolving activity, through time and place, helping the human individual in
his continuous quest towards perfection in the context of his private cultural community. Culture
also represents a major source of creative and refreshing energy in the path of the general human
adventure.
Second: The Maronite Church and the Inculturation Movement
2.
Over the years, our Maronite Church has become aware that its interaction with different
cultures in their broad environments has made its mission in living and transmitting the Good News
of Christ become fulfilled in a very unique way. By so doing, it has established for itself a very
special position in the heart of the Global Church. The establishment of the Maronite Church cannot
be separated from the reality of its presence in the world at large. We can even say that the
1. Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution: on the Church in today’s world, No. 53.
2. John Paul II: handwritten letter for the foundation of the Pontifical Council for Culture, May 20, 1982, Catholic
Documents 79, (1982), 604-606.
3. Pastoral Constitution: on the Church today, No. 53. See also: John Paul II speech at UNESCO (June 2nd, 1980)
Secrétariat Général, Zouk Mosbeh - LIBAN
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continuous historic survival of the Maronite Church as an independent and distinguished churchbody in the midst of other cultures, is due to its distinguished character of inculturation which in
turn helped the Maronite Church to become aware of its distinctive identity. Consequently, the
Maronite Church enjoys the possession of a special cultural patrimony, in addition to distinct
church traditions, liturgy, theology, spirituality and organization4. It also contributes in the mission
of bringing cultural progress and development to society at all levels. This interaction between
Gospel and culture in the context of a special Church, we call it today inculturation. The Church
teaches that through inculturation “The Church incarnates the Gospel in many cultures and, at the
same time, it brings in to its particular community different people along with their different
cultures; and by transmitting to them its own values, it integrates to itself their good values after
renewing them from within”5. We have to note here that the inculturation movement within our
Maronite Church in particular, and in the Oriental Churches in general, is very distinguished from
the rest of the Churches because it is rooted in the very original community where the message of
the Good News took birth... In fact, it started with the beginning of Christianity without having to
pass through another foreign culture. Pope John Paul II says: “the Christian Orient has a very
unique and special role, because it is the cradle of the Church6”. Throughout history, the Oriental
Churches have proven to possess a special capacity to continue these inculturation movements,
making of them model Churches to follow in the successful life of interaction between the Gospel
and human civilizations, between faith and culture7. Vatican II pays a deserved tribute to the
patrimony of these Churches and it highly acknowledges them as representatives of the patrimony
of the whole Church of Christ”. The same Council also declares that it is an obligation to preserve
this patrimony and all its active foundations, either through going back to the roots and reviving the
founding tradition, or in encouraging a renewed apostolic movement that would meet the necessities
of the time in the present cultural context of these Churches8.
Third : The Maronite Inculturation: Past, Present and Future
3.
Since culture is a permanently evolving dynamic reality, the Church’s inculturation
movement has become an on-going and ever renewed process. In fact, cultural development shows
that the vital aspect of the human nature always calls upon the human individual to surpass itself,
and never to become a prisoner of its own achievement9.
Moreover, the elements of openness and universality allow the interaction among cultures
and their reciprocal enrichment. In order that openness does not lead to disintegration of the
Maronite Church’s distinctive identity, the inculturation movement has to find a unifying element
consisting of critical minds. To know the history of the Maronite cultural movement in its different
stages, as it appears in the first chapter of this text, is a very important and critical matter in the
4. John Paul II, a New Hope for Lebanon, No. 8. Also, see the Oriental Churches laws, law 28.
5. John Paul II, the Redemptory mission, No.52.
6. John Paul II, the light of the Orient, No. 5
7. The decree of the Oriental Catholic Churches, No. 5, and John Paul II, Light of the Orient, law No. 28.
8. The decree of Oriental Catholic Churches, No.5
9. John Paul II, the light of truth, No. 53.
2
safeguarding of the unity and survival of our Church. Such an approach calls for bringing to the
open the Maronite patrimony, its sources, origins and their ramifications, and working on
safeguarding that patrimony, reviving it, promoting it to be the witness, guarantor and protector of
our identity. This is the aim of the second chapter of this text. Going back to the roots of our
patrimony does not lead to contradiction with openness; it rather contributes in orienting it towards
its ultimate objective. The real inculturation enables faith to “infiltrate in all cultures, to purify
them, fertilize them, enrich them and allow them to extend and become as broad as Christ’s love
that is immeasurable10”. In line with all human achievements, culture remains, despite its
importance, impregnated with men’s sins and deviated selfishness which hamper man’s pursuit of
God’s salvation plan; it remains in need of “purification, promotion and completion11”. In this
context, the Apostolic Exhortation “a New Hope for Lebanon” calls on the Church to be aware of
today’s cultures, and to distinguish in them between the good and the bad seeds12. This is why
Chapter 3 tackles the cultural challenges facing the Maronite Church in today’s world. It calls to
control them and to place them on the proper track of ever emerging cultural challenges in the midst
of which our Church is ever actively present. The text ends with a fourth chapter that presents the
future horizons of the Maronite cultural activities, calling on all the children of the Maronite
Church, wherever they are, to commit to the project of bringing the Good News to the other
cultures.
Chapter I : The Historical Evolution of the Maronite Church and the
Dynamism of Inculturation
First : A Historical Reading of the First Millenium
1. The Syriac Dimension
4.
The Maronite Church took birth and developed in a context where the Aramaean- Syriac
culture was predominant. Despite the diversity of civilizations and the plurality of cultures in the
region of Antioch during the first Christian years, the Maronite community, since its beginnings,
established itself as a distinguished community from the Byzantine Roman society. The Maronites
were in general among rural and mountain inhabitants. They have adopted the faith upheld by the
monks of Saint Maron in Syria or in Lebanon. They were different from city dweller Christians who
were affected by the Greek culture. Their steadfastness to their culture did not at all mean that they
were cut off from the Greek culture which, during the first Christian centuries, presented the
essential tools for Christians to express their faith. The Syriac character is very apparent especially
in the ritual books that are indeed a real reference to our authentic Maronite patrimony. This
patrimony gives a high importance to the Syriac fathers and especially to Saint Ephrem. As one of
the Prominent Fathers of the ecumenical Church, Saint Ephrem was not influenced by the Greek
10. The pontifical Council for Culture, for a Pastoral Culture, No. 3
11. The pontifical Council for Culture, for a Pastoral Culture, No. 3
12. John Paul II, New Hope for Lebanon, No 15
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philosophy. He actually emphasized the importance of matter, and the dignity of the human body
and of the entire creation. He taught that the transcendent God, through His incomprehensible
divinity, is apparent through all His creatures because all what He has created carries His likeness,
that is the likeness to the incarnate son. The universe and history serve only as a stage for the
meeting between God and men, so that by recognizing Him through His Creation they would
receive Life. (John 3/17). Despite the later Islamic expansion, and despite the spread of the Arabic
language, the Maronites safeguarded both the Syriac culture and the Syriac language to the point
that an Arab historian could not help writing that the Syriac is “Lebanon’s language’ (Ibn Ibri). The
Maronites went on using Syriac in their daily life until very recently, and they still use it in their
liturgy. They also have used the Karshouni language, using Syriac characters in writing Arabic
words. Furthermore, while the Maronite Church safeguarded the Syriac music and melodies, the
other Syriac traditions could not protect their cultural melodies from being polluted by those of the
surrounding cultures. The Maronites’ upholding and safeguarding of their Rabula Syriac Gospel for
a long time serves as another fact that proves their genuine attachment to their culture.
2. The Antiochean Chalcedonian Dimension
5.
It goes without saying that the multiplicity of theological schools in the first Christian
centuries, and the outburst of intellectual and theological conflicts in particular between the
Antiochean School and the Alexandrian School has strengthened the feeling of cultural belonging
among the respective followers. The Maronites upheld the ideologies of the Antiochean fathers that
put a stress on the humanity of Christ; they were also involved in the doctrinal conflict after the
Chalcedonian Council (451). These two facts deepened in the Maronites their sense of religious and
cultural distinctiveness and strengthen their desire to maintain it. The Chalcedonian doctrine upheld
and struggled for by the Maronites became the essential dynamics of their destiny whereby living
the Christian faith on the part of both individual and community would go in proportion with their
human transcendence. In fact, the divine participation in the human nature enables the human being
to participate in the divine nature by living a perfect human life.
Asceticism, an essential characteristic in the spirituality of our Church, is not an abdication
of the bodily and physical faculties of life; to the contrary, it is the participation of all these faculties
in the spiritual development, by following the path of their Creator.
The Maronite liturgy expresses this point very well by declaring: “God, you have unified
your divinity with our humanity, and our humanity with your divinity, your life with our death, our
death with your life. You took what is ours and gave us what is Yours, in order to give us live, and
to save us. We glorify You for ever and ever13”. Thanks to the Chalcedonian doctrine, the Maronite
believer was brought to believe that through his ordinary daily life, through his relations with his
13. The Mass According to the Maronite Syriac Antiochean Church, in the prayer of breaking of the bread,
consecrating, sprinkling, mixing and offering in the Anaphora, Bkerke, 1992, p. 611. This unity also appears in the
soul and body on the sanctification path, in many of the other Maronite Mass prayers. Refer to: “the prayer to God
and the ritual of penance” in Saint Mark Anaphora, where we pray many times for the unity of the soul and body,
p.778, and in the prayers of the public while preparing for communion.
4
brother and with nature, he could ascend and meet His God and Creator. Through God’s union with
man, the Creator united with His creation. As such, the work of the Maronite on earth represents a
part of his prayer, and an expression of his eagerness to bring to reality his meeting of his Savior.
Accordingly, he transformed very arid mountains into fruitful gardens, and his prayers and songs
came along with the rhythm of his ground tilling tools. We note this during our Mass liturgy, when
in concluding, the priest says: May Your Holy name be glorified in us and in every thing along with
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of Your Holy Spirit, now and for ever14”.
3. The Lebanese Dimension
6.
Christianity, which since its early beginnings had entered Lebanon dwelling mostly in the
coastal cities, has known a new spread with the conversion of the mountain inhabitants at the hands
of St Simeon the Stylit and due to the evangelization campaign held by St Maron’s disciples under
the leadership of Ibrahim the Cyrillic. These mountain inhabitants safeguarded their distinctive
characteristics, religious rituals, and their typical social customs that in no way contravened with
their new faith. The numerous temples that were transformed into churches, many of which still
exist, are a living witness to this fact15. No doubt that the Maronites’ strong attachment to the
mountainous land of Lebanon, be they original inhabitants or immigrant fleeing persecution, and
their constant interaction with it through its changing stages in history deepened their attachment to
it to the extent of sanctifying it and, understandably, they made of it the see of their Patriarchate
which serves as the symbol of their unity and their ecclesiastical peculiarity. This people’s strong
and dynamic will, their generosity and hospitality, along with their stubborn love for freedom are all
inspired by their very land, the land of Lebanon.
Second : The Interaction with the Arab and Islamic world
1. First Meeting with the Arab Culture
7.
The Maronites were able to safeguard their spiritual and cultural peculiarities under the
Islamic rule which lasted for more than one thousand years in the region where they were settled,
and in particular in the Mountain of Lebanon which helped in giving a relative protection from the
invading armies and from their new traditions. Despite the tensions during the first period of
occupation, the Maronites never hesitated, whenever they had the opportunity, to access the Arabic
culture and even to adopt it, never abdicating their own. In fact, the great interaction with the Arabic
culture at the hands of Christian scholars during the Abbasid era, made them the pioneers of what is
known as the first Arab Renaissance which took place between the ninth and eleventh centuries
A.D.. This renaissance was mainly possible through the wide translation movement of the Greek
patrimony into Arabic16. The city of Baghdad, Capital of the Abbasid Empire, was the main center
of this cultural movement, which may explain the flocking of many scholars into that city. One of
these was the Christian scholar form Baalbeck, Costa bin Luca, who lived there at the beginning of
14. The Mass following the Maronite Syriac Antiochean Church, the prayer of remembrance, Bkerke, 1992, p.609.
15. Like Chamat and Maad churches in Byblos.
16. Father Samir Khalil s. j,: The Cultural role of Christians in the Arab world, (1), Dar el Mashreq, Beirut, 2003.
5
the tenth century. In this context, His Holiness, John Paul II asks the Lebanese Christians in general
“ to continue working on the valuation of Arab Christian writings in theology, spirituality, liturgy
and culture in general. All these are treasures that have influenced the Antiochean tradition since the
seventh century17. Despite the geographical distance that separates Maronites from the Capital of
the Arab culture at that time, they were not at the margin of this cultural movement. The Book of
the Hoda18 (guidance), translated in 1059, testifies to the Maronites’ early adoption of the Arabic
language and its use in expressions relating to society, spirituality and culture.
2. Maronites and the Arabic Renaissance
8.
The essential role the Maronites have played in the history of Arabic culture started in the
early seventeenth century with bishop Germanos Farhat (1670- 1746), father Boutros el Toulawi
(1657- 1746) and many others. They all have initiated a complete Renaissance that has safeguarded
the Arab culture, revived it and redeemed its prominent position in the face of a Turkish cultural
onslaught. The Maronites’ commitment to the Arab language and to its revival have immensely
contributed in bringing about the new Arabic Renaissance during the nineteenth century. The best
that was said about this situation was expressed by the Orient Catholic Patriarchs, a statement that
concerns all Christians of the Orient : “the cultural interaction among our Churches has never
stopped. It always had an ever renewed energy over the centuries and the successive historical
stages which were endured by our region. We have to note the cultural vitality that marked our
Churches during the Arab conquest; the Churches of the Orient did not just observe, shackled by the
glories of the past; rather they worked very hard toward genuinely expressing themselves according
to the new cultural circumstances. They progressively introduced the Arabic language into the
ritual, intellectual, and daily domains of their life. Consequently, our Churches successfully
overcame this period despite all challenges and impediments19.”
3. The Period of Arab Inculturation
9.
As a result of the Maronite Church’s interaction with the Arab culture, this latter became a
part of our ecclesiastical patrimony. All the ritual prayers and songs were translated into Arabic.
This language was -even if in a limited way- used for writing some theological and spiritual essays
that represent a nucleus of a Christian Arab thought for our time that should be encouraged and be
brought to light. The remaining great challenge is that this interaction should not lead to the
elimination of the originality and unique character of the Maronite cultural patrimony, in its
historical depth and its diverse sources. The Maronite culture is inculturated in the Arabic culture,
deeply rooted in the Syriac, Chalcedonian, and Lebanese heritages, and is open to all other cultures
17. John Paul II, A New Hope for Lebanon, No. 41.
18. We know that bishop Daoud the Maronite has translated the Hoda (conversion) book that is presumed to be the
work of the Saint father at the request of the blessed brother Yussef el Raheb, in 1058-9, from Syriac to Arabic. The
book encompasses two parts: the first part concerns the obligations of men towards God in order to live a perfect
Christian life; the second part contains a set of royal decrees and different laws and traditions from the Old
Testament.
19. Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, Christian presence in the Orient: testimony and mission, Bkerke,
1992, No. 27.
6
that it encounters in its interaction with the West and its worldwide expansion.
Third : Interaction with the Western World
1. The Unity of Faith with the Christian West
10.
The Maronites acquainted themselves very early with the western culture motivated by their
attachment to their unity in faith with the Roman Catholic Church. The arrival of the French with
the crusaders presented the Maronites with a new opportunity of exchange with new cultural
dimensions of the same Christian faith. There is no doubt that this period has caused a great impact
on the spirit of the Maronites, and on the different horizons of their advanced culture. Accordingly,
the Maronites went on with a cultural exchange involving their own distinctive Christian culture
and the Western Christian culture as a whole. Unfortunately, this cultural exchange could not be
fully operative until the late sixteenth century with the establishment of the Maronite School in
Rome (in 1584), along with Lebanon’s openness to the west under the mandate of the Maanite
Emirs, and the arrival to the Orient of the Catholic missions which established many important
schools in different regions.
2. The Maronite College in Rome
11.
Since its foundation, the Maronite school in Rome played an important leading role in many
fields, especially in religion and science, and in politics and education. This school brought wealth
to both East and West thanks to the major achievements of the scholars who happened to be its own
graduates. The latter have greatly contributed in introducing the western cultural patrimony to the
Orient, and in exhorting the Europeans to study the Orient. Among the pioneers of the Maronite
school we cite: Gebrael el Sahyouni (1577- 1648) who became the director of the branch of Oriental
languages at the Royal Institute in Paris; he also introduced the oriental letters to Europe in both
calligraphic and printed forms. Youssef el Semaani (1687- 1768) who was appointed director of the
Vatican library, and was also commissioned by the Pope to head the Lebanese synod of the
Maronite Church held in 1736 in Our Lady of Loueize monastery. This synod had a great impact on
the educational life of the Maronite Church, because it decided to open schools in towns and
villages and to force parents into sending their children to schools. Yousef Estephan (1729-1799)
who founded the school of Ain Waraka, which was the Christian School par excellence in the whole
Orient and the symbol of the awakening to the distinctive features of the Maronite identity.
3. Between Openness and Authenticity
12.
Despite the unity in faith with the Occident, and despite the Maronites’ awareness of the
need felt by themselves and by the oriental societies to the fruits of the cultural renaissance and of
the modern sciences in the west, they also realized the danger that may be posed by the hegemony
of this new culture over their patrimony and over their genuine cultural identity. Consequently, the
period from the 16th century to the 20th century witnessed a continuous tension between the
temptations of modernity and the necessary protection of their genuine identity. From this tension
7
resulted an impact exercised by the Latin Church over the structure, the traditions and the rituals of
the Maronite Church.. The Maronites consequently lost a part of their cultural and spiritual
patrimony. But they were able, on the other hand, through the early introduction of printing (1595)
to safeguard this patrimony and to diffuse it. Moreover, their openness to the west and their
knowledge of many languages has always served – and still does- an asset for them and for their
country helping them to cope with the different cultural effects of modernity, especially the modern
sciences and their related technologies.
Chapter II : Maronite Cultural Ingenuity, its Outcome, and its Continuity
First : The Maronite Patrimony
1. Patrimony as a Collective Memory
13.
Patrimony represents the cultural product of a people they have accumulated over the years
within a stable geographical setting. It consists of material, intellectual and spiritual achievements
whose essence encompasses all the distinctive features of a given population. As such, patrimony
represents the cultural identity of a community. Patrimony consists of the memory of a people
because it testifies to numerous landmark achievements which reveal that people’s historical depth.
Patrimony guarantees the survival of a community by materializing its unity across history, also by
immersing that community in its own culture, and finally by bringing it to a self-awareness level.
Therefore, patrimony encompasses all types of “archeological and cultural heritage”, i.e.
monuments, special architecture, art paintings, sculpting and music, along with books, historical
documents, manuscripts and others such as works of literature, customs and popular traditions as
well as shrines, symbols and religious rituals.
2. Lebanon, a Holy Land
14.
The inculturation of the Maronite Church in its contextual diversity throughout history has
lead to the formation of a special patrimony that should be discovered and safely kept. We have to
note that this patrimony is deeply-rooted and strongly linked to the religious and Christian
patrimony that has marked Lebanon and made it “a Holy land, a land of sainthood20”. This is why,
the Apostolic Exhortation, a New Hope for Lebanon, announces that Christianity has been since its
beginnings an essential cultural element of the region in general, and of the Lebanese land in
particular21”
Lebanon is one of the countries of the Holy Bible. Its cedars were used to build temples for
worship, an art the Lebanese have manned in hard work and developed to artistic perfection.
Lebanon’s rituals have eternal echoes that pay tribute, in particular to the beauty of the Church and
to the greatness of Mary: “You are wholly beautiful, my beloved, and without a blemish. Come
20. Episcopal Synod, special assembly for Lebanon, Christ is our Hope: in His soul we are renewed, and together we
testify of our love. Guidelines, Vatican, 1993, No. 1.
21. John Paul II, a New Hope for Lebanon, Beirut, 1997, No.1.
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with me from Lebanon, my promised bride, come from Lebanon, come on your way”. (Song 4 / 78). Lebanon’s land became holy in particular when our Lord visited his friends in Sidon and Tyre,
and the day He paid tribute to the Canaanite woman because of her great faith (Mathew 15/21-28)
bringing to mind the works of the Prophets who announced His coming. (Luke 4/26). The Christian
tradition left us with plenty of landmarks that witness to this period of time - it is of great
importance to discover, study and highlight the unaccounted-for landmarks. Lebanon has also
inherited many other ruins of great importance that date back to the first Christian centuries. We
cite, for example, the Church of Bishop Paulinus in Tyre which may be the oldest cathedral in the
world. It was the church historian Eusapius that delivered the speech of its inauguration and
consecration in the year 314. There are many other churches rich in mosaic22 and in local Christian
symbols that go back to this first period of Christianity in Lebanon.
3. Maronite patrimonial sites
15.
Among the most important Maronite patrimonial landmarks we cite: the sacred valley of
Kannoubin which glows with natural beauty; it has monasteries and hermitages, gardens and
frescos, continuous monastic and ascetic patrimony, depth in the Maronite history, and touch of the
holiness of its early dwellers. The UNESCO has declared it part of the international patrimony. This
place is very worthy of being a pilgrimage site for all Maronites: in Lebanon, in the Orient or in the
extension. It can also serve as a symbol for the unity and steadfastness of their Church23. Among
other important Maronite landmarks in Lebanon are the different sites for the Patriarchal sees
which, though they represent an important element in the Maronite patrimony, are not given proper
attention and care. We also mention the pilgrimage centers of the Lebanese Saints, Rafka,
Neemtallah and Charbel, in their monasteries and villages.
To this list may also be added many ancient churches24, some of which were built over the
ruins of pagan temples. All this testifies to the truthfulness of the following statement: “there is no
country in the world like this country, where the population, generation after another, has always
come to the same cites for prayer”25 This shows the deep-rooted Maronite tradition in the land of
Lebanon. To the many great Maronite patrimonial landmarks in Lebanon we need to add the walpaintings in the valley of Kannoubine, and also in Behdeidat and in rock-temples26, as well as the
icon of Our Lady of Ilij. We should not forget the different elements used in the church ritual
services, church furniture, in addition to the many manuscripts that are spread in different libraries,
in Lebanon and abroad, and most importantly the archives of the patriarchal library in Bkerke, in
addition to ancient and modern books that address in a way or another the Maronite culture. Of no
22. Like the churches of Ghineh, Zahrani, Ahiram Shrine, Jiyeh, Nabatyeh, Niha, Tyre, Beit Mery, Byblos and others…
23. To this valley is added the valley of Ain el Raha in Tannourine, the valley of Harba in Batroun, and the monastery
of Saint Maron, on the Orontes river bank.
24. Like the churches of Behdeidat, Maad, Blat and Chamat in Jbeil and Smar Jbeil in Batroun, and Mar Mema, in
Ehden.
25. E.Renan, Mission de Phénicie, Imprimerie Impériale, Paris, 1864, p. 221.
26. The Monastery of the Cross (the valley of kannoubine), the monastery of Saint Simeon the stylit (sakyet el khayt)
our lady of el Deir (Bcharri), Saint Marina grotto (Kalamoun0, the church of Saint Charbel (Maad), the church of
Mar Saba (Eddeh- Batroun), the church of Saint Elias (Blat), the church of Our Lady of Ksouba (Jbeil), the church
of Kannoubine and others.
9
less importance are the different publications of the Lebanese in the extension covering different
fields – philosophy, arts, architecture…, which in their own distinctive way, they reflect the
Maronite cultural identity.
This list can by no mean be exclusive, for a patrimony encompasses also many other popular
traditions like the folk poetry (Zajal) through which Ibn elKala’ii was able to spread the Western
culture in an easily accessible way. A general and comprehensive survey of all the Maronite
patrimonial sites has to be undertaken in order to protect them and make them a living reminder of
the Maronite cultural belonging.
Second : The Maronite Art
1. Some Maronite artists in the modern period
16.
Art is a part of the patrimony, and we have previously made mention of some works in
architecture, music, and writing. However, the modern meaning of art has progressively been
introduced by Maronite artisits. Patriarch Doueihy mentions the name of Elias Chidiac Hasrouni
who has drawn all the paintings of Mar Abda Church in Bikfaya (1587). Kanaan Dib el Dlebtawi,
Najib Youssef Chucri and Najib Fayad were also renowned painters, but we only know a little
about their religious art production. In the 19th Century, the first group of Maronite painters
appeared. They had studied in Italy and came back to the country. Many of their paintings of saints
were left in churches. Some of them are: Daoud el Korm (1852-1930), Habib Srour (1860-1939),
Philip Mourani (1875-1970) and Yussef el Howayek who was a great sculptor and painter at the
same time.
In the 20th century came the second generation of Maronite artists who graduated from Paris,
like Kaisar el Gemayel (1898- 1958), Saliba Doueihy (1912- 1994) and Michel Basbous (19211981). They all left in Maronite churches paintings and sculptures. Saliba Doueihy was renowned
for the paintings of the Diman (Patriarchal headquarters), in a great classico- impressionist way.
Doueihy traveled to the United States where he settled leaving behind a number of paintings and
stained-glass windows in many Maronite churches.
2. Attempts in a modern Maronite Art
17.
Saleeba Doueihy was the only one among the second generation artists who wanted to
innovate a purely Maronite ecclesiastical art. He underwent important historical and aesthetic
studies on the Oriental art in general, and the Byzantine art in particular. After many experiments,
he concluded that the artistic peculiarity common to the works of Oriental Byzantine artists is the
nearest artistic means to the spirituality of the Maronite Church. Doueihy says, “it is acknowledged
that the Byzantine art in Antioch and in other Roman cities in the Orient, to the exception of
Alexandria, was colored by the Oriental spirit, which gave it its prominent value”. The masterpieces
of Doueihy, in this context, were the paintings of Saint John’s Church in Zghorta. The sources he
used while working on the designs of that church were from the Assyrian art, the Syriac calligraphy,
and some Syriac samples he saw at the National library in Paris. He also found inspiration in the
10
Iranian art which is in harmony with his own. One can say that the characteristic of the Doueihy
paintings were the use of warm colors on wide plane spaces, blended with the Persian artistic style,
this is to convey an idea of light and beauty glowing on a plane warm color. Saleeba Douiehy
continued in the same track; he drew the paintings in Saint Charbel church in Annaya, with stainedglass windows, following the same style he had used in drawing the paintings of Saint John’s
Church in Zghorta. We can consider Saleeba Doueihy as a real Maronite art school by himself. It is
difficult nowadays to find another international artist of the caliber of Saleeba,who would have
similar mastery over the spirit of Maronite history, and who would be capable –like Saleeba- of
creating an art that would capture the spirit of the Maronite culture, and that would equal what
Saleeba has done for the Maronite history by promoting its art to an international level.
3. Maronite Iconography
18.
Simultaneously with the movement of liturgical renewal, the Maronite Church felt new
needs on the liturgical level, other than decorating churches with paintings. It was necessary,
following the example of other oriental churches, to work on icons for processions to replace the
images the Maronites had inherited form the Latin Church. In order to meet this urgent need, Bishop
Boutros Gemayel, the head of the Maronite patriarchal commission for rituals, founded a workshop
in Nicosia, (Cyprus) and recruited a technical team to whom he provided all the necessary
equipment. The team worked for ten continuous years on icons that would concern all Maronite
ritual times. These icons are all safeguarded in a special hall in the Maronite Episcopal See in
Nicosia. These icons were also printed in color, and published in two books. The first one gathers all
the icons concerning the rituals; the second contains the icons of all the saints revered by the
Maronite Church. The sources used in preparing these two works for publication are basic Syriac
references such as the Rabula Gospel, and tens of gospels decorated with miniatures, kept in
European libraries, and in monasteries of Oriental and Occidental Syriac rites. There are many other
attempts in this field, like the works of the Institute of Ecclesiastic Art in the Holy Spirit UniversityKaslik. It is within the capacity of this Institute, based on its many valuable achievements in the field
of the of ecclesiastic art, to highly contribute in the study, development, and publication of this
important aspect of the Maronite cultural heritage. The patriarchal commission for rituals encourages
all talented artists to design and develop new Maronite icons, provided they come in harmony with
the rules of iconography recognized by the Oriental Churches. Along with the tribute and the
encouragement the Maronite Church pays to those who work in this field, it also recognizes the new
artistic styles that are suitable to our time, and that help men elevate themselves towards God.
Third : Safeguarding and Reviving the Patrimony
1. The living Patrimony is the Guarantee for the Survival of the Community
19.
Patrimony is a public property; no one has the right to consider it as a private property and
to interact with it on that basis. It is necessary to give it proper care and safeguard in a strict
scientific manner, for the sake of the local community and for humanity at large. Ignoring it or
11
sabotaging would mean rooting out the concerned community, and exposing it to the danger of
disintegration, or to alienating it from its own social culture. On the other hand, giving the
patrimony a proper care is a strengthening its means of resistance and continuity in both history and
society. The safeguarding and reviving of our Maronite patrimony calls for many practical
initiatives most of which are necessary and even urgent.
2. Urgent Initiatives
20.
A patriarchal commission should be nominated. Some of its assigned duties should be
collecting data and surveying all patrimonial cultural sites and drafting a priority list aiming at
rescuing and restoring these sites. This state of affairs calls on our Church to select a group of
specialists made up of monks and laymen who should work on a full –time basis in this domain.
The above-mentioned commission works, in collaboration with “the Commission of Church
properties” which reports to the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, and with
similar local and international entities, in order to tackle the matter at hand in the most suitable and
scientific manner. Some of the solutions are: cataloging the manuscripts, elaboration of specialized
libraries and museums, and publication of all studies that may shed light on the peculiarities of this
patrimony in all its aspects (may they be artistic or architectural or other), and on the restoration of
the ruins of Maronite sites, bringing to light their spiritual and historic importance and reviving their
ecclesiastic role. This commission should also establish scientific criteria for the restoration or for
the building of new Maronite Churches. It should also start by building a Maronite museum that
would contain in it anything that would express or represent this patrimony. The Maronite
universities have a very important role to play here, as to the scientific research and the bringing to
the open this cultural wealth. They can entice the future generations to get to know through them
about the historical depth of their ecclesiastic community. Despite all the difficulties that are faced
when publishing a book and marketing it in different countries, it is very important to encourage
Maronite writers and authors to publish their studies in many languages. This may necessitate the
strengthening of the role of some existing ecclesiastic publishing houses, and perhaps linking them
with a setting capable of being effectively present on the international scene. This project may be
complemented with the founding either of a Central Maronite library that would preserve a copy of
all Maronite publications, or of a Maronite publishing House, or even of a publishing house having
an interest in housing Maronite publications.
3. Cultural and religious tourism
21.
Among many means to safeguard the patrimony, we can note too, the marketing of cultural
and religious tourism to sites that represent an essential aspect of our ecclesiastic history. In this
context it is necessary to give priority to the holy valley of kannoubine with all its natural and
patrimonial lanmarks. It is possible to have different plans that would suggest visiting the
patriarchal sees or the shrines of Maronites saints, or ancient Maronite churches. In all cases, the
southern part of the country should be emphasized as a holy land that was often visited by Jesus
Christ Himself. In order to encourage this kind of relations with the Maronite ecclesiastic and
12
cultural patrimony, the Church can establish an office that takes care of organizing these activities
specially intended for Maronites in the extension. This office would make it practically easier to
organize such activities for the Maronites of the extension, and would encourage them to get to
know the roots of their faith and of their ecclesiastic belonging. Along with this activity, there may
be a possibility of new job opportunities for guides specialized in the Christian patrimony capable
of providing tourists with an excellent cultural service coupled with a sincere testimony of their
faith. It is also necessary to encourage all Maronites of the region to get involved in the movement
of rediscovering the Maronite patrimony, in Lebanon and Syria. These pilgrimages may offer to
visitors benefits beyond tourism and personal piety. They create occasions for the Maronites to
mingle and exchange visits which often helps in bringing about and even strengthening the
brotherhood spirit among the children of the same Church. This important matter may lead to an
essential pastoral commitment, and become an integral part of the pastoral program of priests, of
dioceses and monastic orders, and of church institutions as well as of lay organizations.
Chapter III : The Maronite Church and the Cultural Challenges of the
Contemporary Period
First : Challenges of Modernity
1. Modernity and Secularism
22.
Caring for patrimony does not mean that we have to stop addressing the present in its
dimensions and new cultural challenges. Our world today is going towards globalization and
modernity at the same time. Modernity is not only an idea or a theoretical concept. It is a
civilization phenomenon that made history over hundreds of years, since the end of the Middle ages
in Europe till the Renaissance, and in many aspects it is still in control of the majority of the social
frames. It is in fact causing the emergence of a new historic trend that defies tradition and even
bypasses it. It also testifies to the “birth of a new culture which is centered on man27”, a culture that
touches on all the dimensions of human life: Sciences, philosophy, politics, economics, society,
religion and state. In taking an opposite side to tradition, the modern man distanced himself from it,
and by so doing he was able to a new historical, linguistic and explanatory memory, based on
submitting all that is inherited as already established truth to intellectual and scientific scrutiny.
This also led him to separate between different dimensions of collective and individual existence.
One of the established elements of modernity is the independence of social life from religious
authorities. This is what may be called the distinction between spiritual and temporal matters; this is
also restricting religion to its private domain so it does not influence daily life matters. This is
known as secularization. As for laicism, it is the political expression of the global secularization
movement that prevents religion from covering all dimensions of human life,. Which practically
means the separation between religion and state. The Catholic Church recognizes the legitimacy of
the autonomy that culture pretends to have, provided that it would be relative, and it would not
27. The Church in today’s world. No. 55
13
reduce the human existence to the narrow earthly dimension which would contradict religion28.
Vatican II confirmed that this movement was the cause of a radical transformation in the social and
cultural situation of the human being29. Modernity was not consequently linked to Europe alone, but
to all countries in the world.
2. The Modern Maronite Inculturation and its Challenges
23.
The Maronite openness to the West during the last centuries has put it in a direct contact
with modernity and its cultural track. This cultural development called for a new inculturation
movement in the Maronite Church in order to catch up with the new development in human history.
The Maronite Church has taken a stand from this matter. It consists of refusing to choose between
modernity and patrimony, but unifying between its oriental patrimony and the openness toward the
modern western culture. This did not prevent some Maronites from adopting a radical traditional
stand, and some others from calling to abandon the past and to cling to modern rationalism with all
its scientific, technical, dialectical and critical aspects. This trend was very clear in the invitation by
some to modernism and to the adoption by others of materialistic theories in Lebanon, Egypt and in
the countries of the extension. At the present, modernity still represents a real challenge to the
Maronite Church in some matters that should not be ignored.
3. Liberation from Confessionalism
24.
One of the most important matters that should not be ignored is confessionalism and its
situation in relation to the Church body. The Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient have very wisely
expressed their position from this matter saying: “confession has played a very positive role in our
ecclesiastic history safeguarding the Church’s traditions and the basic human and national
civilization in each of our Churches. However many negative factors infiltrated into the reality of
confession, because of the superficiality of faith in general, or because of pressing social elements
that have crucified the proper concept of the Church within the context of confession . This has
resulted in the emergence of the spirit of confessionalism, which is a by-product deviating from and
extorting our life in the Church. It is mostly charactized by self isolation and rupture with the other
who belongs to another confession or to another religion30. The Patriarchs recognize that
confessionalism is a dangerous distortion of the concept of religion, and an outright contradiction to
the concept of Church. Confessionalism is more in promoting religious slogans than the genuine
spirit of religion. Thus, confessionalism, instead of promoting life as a real active presence and a
continuous source of revival, has turned itself into a prison in which followers are confined to a
distant past alienating them from real life31. Radical modernity is not a convenient answer to
confessionalism, nor is the latter an impediment to radical modernity. Our Maronite Church has to
continue addressing the necessities required for its interaction with modernity, a move which could
practically help in the effort aimed at liberation from the defects of confessionalism which cannot
28. Ibid.,, issue no..56, no.6.
29. Ibid., issue no..54
30. The Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, Secret of the Church, 1996, No.4.
31. Ibid, No. 11.
14
distinguish between the social presence of the Church and its spiritual and evangelical mission.
Liberation, in this case, necessitates the eradication of all kinds of religious fundamentalism and
self-isolation and the openness towards a continuous self -criticism. This approach may also help in
modernizing the Church’s structure and administration, and in sharing responsibility with a
scientific spirit and according to a diversity in skills and talents.
4. Freedom: a Basis of Modern Culture and a Maronite Mission
25.
Modernity that submits inherited traditions to objective criticism is the basis for
accumulated progress in cultural activities. But in order to achieve this objective, freedom remains
the most essential condition; individual freedom of thought, of speech, and of press. Throughout
history, Maronites were closely associated with freedom, basic characteristic for the human person
and for his dignity, and a condition for the real existence of culture. Maronites until today take up
the sacred - yet vulnerable - cause of freedom wherever they are, and especially in the Orient. They
defend the value of freedom not for their own self-defense, nor for the protection of some personal
gain, but for everybody, because they believe this defense to be an integral part of their cultural and
spiritual mission. The elimination of freedom brings death to culture, and what would remain from
it would be no more than outside appearances not worthy of human dignity. Individual freedom
faces today three threats.
5. Facing Outside and Inside Threats to Freedom
26.
The first and most showing danger is an external one. It comes from political, social or
economic pressures that may be imposed on Maronites and other citizens through unjust regimes or
through leaders who would like to restrain their cultural presence. Consequently, defending
intellectual freedom should develop, deepen and ramify in the context of the Maronite cultural
movement today.
The second danger is the outcome of a negative result of modernity now, which is the
consumption thinking. The development of the individual economic and buying powers, with the
increase of product diversity on the market, cultural products included, often provides a deceptive
appearance to the already curtailed individual freedom. Therefore the individual’s power of choice
becomes restricted to the product which the individual feels obligated to buy and not to the
questioning of the of the choice and of its objective. The Maronite Church here feels the need to
protect its children and to keep a social level worthy of the human dignity men, through an
education that is suitable for social awareness and supportive of personal wills.
The third threat is an inner one. It is the pressure exercised on the individual by the Church,
by the society, or by the family. This pressure with all its stress on traditions and inherited customs
may represent a barrier hampering the individual’s personal growth within his community where
there is no risk of losing his sense of personal identity, and where his personal talents –granted him
as a member of the mysterious body of Christ- would be put to proper use. Here too, modernity
calls for an openness of the Maronite cultural mission to this essential dimension in the defense of
15
freedom.
Second : Globalization Challenges
1. Cultural Definition of the Globalization Phenomenon
27.
Globalization is a historical phenomenon where economics, politics,, modern technology,
culture, sociology, and psychology all of them intertwine, and where human belonging to the whole
universe is defined beyond all political borders. In practice, it strengthens the link among human
societies through the transfer of commodities, capitals, production techniques, individuals,
information and cultures. It is a frontier-free land, a frontier-free market and a frontier-free culture.
It is in this sense that globalization is addressed as a universal phenomenon with a new vision for
culture and identity. But globalization has two aspects: a negative one and a positive one.
Globalization is bad when it is synonym of similarity and the control of the market law in a way
that ignores human culture that is focused around ethical values. Globalization is good if
information, knowledge, progress, understanding, value sharing and wealth are all exchanged. The
answer to globalization as a culture destroyer is cultural diversity, not fear or cultural introversion.
2. The Maronite Church and Globalization
28.
In this kind of vision, what summarizes both poles in dealing with globalization, and what
enlightens the Maronite Church in making proper decisions while interacting with this
phenomenon, either in Lebanon, or in the Orient, or even in the extension, is what follows:
 First: sticking to cultural specificity, and resisting any merger that would eliminate the
distinctive self, refusing all dependence that may do away with the independence of the will
and with the capacity of refusing or criticizing or resisting. This personal stand gives the
individual power to persist, and attachment to his identity. It would also put a limit to
emigration that seems easier and more attractive day after day because of the “shorter”
distances and the progressive disappearance of borders.
 Second: using globalization as an easy and available means to reach out for information,
knowledge, progress, understanding and participating in the dialogue of values and in the
cultural exchange. This dialogue is not limited to the children of the Maronite Church, but
has to start with them. Consequently, it is a must to establish a Maronite committee that
would coordinate in the exchange of human capacities, giving priority to young people
among Maronite dioceses in the extension on the one hand and in Lebanon and the Orient
on the other. This is possible through the travelling of these youngsters who would spend a
period of time, (months or a year) in one of the dioceses or of the ecclesiastical institutions,
and work in one of the available sectors to serve the community. This provides him/her with
the opportunity of meeting brothers and sisters and to live an apostolic and important human
experience. This cooperation should take place both ways, between East and West.
Third : The Challenges of extension (world Spread) and Cultural Diversity
16
1. Living Unity in Diversity
29.
The widespread emigration of Maronites in many countries of the world has brought about a
new cultural reality which is the way Maronites, given their identity, behavior and culture, had to
cope with the reality of the cultures of the societies where they live. This has raised before them and
before the Church the important problem of safeguarding a minimum of their Maronite culture in its
Lebanese- Antiochean- Syriac dimension, and of giving in to the new culture that has been
developed by the countries of their residence and which is very different from both Antioch and
Lebanon. What would be left of the Maronite culture if it were to lose its Antiochean spirituality
and Lebanese dimension? The international declaration of cultural diversity, issued by the
UNESCO in 2001 may help to answer this problem that is particular to the Maronite Church. This
declaration says that the human rights are to guarantee the cultural diversity and particularly the
rights of minorities. Cultural plurality in a democratic context is the right political answer to the
reality of this cultural diversity. Cultural diversity is the common patrimony to humanity and the
source of exchange, renewal and innovation among nations. These principles bring the Maronite
Church to believe that the diversity of national, social and cultural belongings of its children is not a
barrier in the achievement of its ecclesiastic and cultural unity. In fact, it may develop a motivation
for renewal and innovation. It also means the right or the necessity for Maronites to hold tight to
their cultural identity and call for its recognition and respect within cultural multiplicity wherever
they are, in Lebanon, the Orient or the land of extension.
2. The Elements of Presence and Cultural Interaction
30.
The “emigration press” and “emigration literature” offer an excellent example on the
importance of safeguarding cultural particularity within the multiplicity, and on the wealth of
reciprocal cultural exchange. A group of authors and writers worked carefully on translating and
transmitting to their new western societies many of the customs and traditions as well as stories of
the Orient. An active emigration press took birth in the extension, with the objective of creating a
link between the emigrants and the mother land on the one hand, and on the other, to transfer news
and the oriental culture to the West. Moreover, the translation of books of liturgy as well as of the
Maronite Syriac patrimony to many languages contributed to that. Although this translation
movement was particularly meant to serve emigrant Maronites, many others became interested in
the Maronite peculiarity, and wanted to reap from it cultural and spiritual gains. In this context, we
can only acknowledge that the lack of research and study centers and the absence of Maronite chairs
in Western universities had its negative impact on the balance of cultural exchange between the
Maronites and the countries of extension. To the exception of the Maronite seminary in
Washington, and the Lebanese French House in Paris, we can’t find any Maronite community
research centers or anything that would come close to the Maronite school in Rome which has
recently resumed its activities. The establishment of an international Maronite academy with
branches in countries with large Maronite communities, linked to university research centers in
Lebanon, may be the answer to this urgent need.
3. The Cultural Exchange between the Patriarchal Context and the Maronites Abroad
17
31.
The cultural exchange is not only between Maronites and their societies, it also encompasses
the communication movement and interaction between Lebanese Maronites and the patriarchal See
on one hand, and the extension Maronites on another. This means that the Maronite Church always
has to enrich its children in the foreign countries, with Lebanese, Antiochean, and Syriac cultural
tradition sources, and get enriched with their human cultural experiences in their respective
countries. It also has to continuously work on establishing a dialogue between both sources, because
this fruitful communication sets the foundations of the authenticity of the Church and strengthens its
children’s relationships with it and among each-others. It also helps the innovative capacities to
prosper through safeguarding the continuous diversity of cultures, which is the door for achieving
security and peace in the world. The question here is whether the language plays the role of
unifying or dismantling the Church in its diversity. The Maronites of the Orient speak Arabic, and
the majority is Francophone. The Maronites of the extension speak many other languages of which
we list: Portuguese, English and Spanish. Would this language disparity represent a stumbling block
in interaction and unification? Should we choose a common language for all the Maronites? We
suggest the symbolic safeguarding of the Syriac in the liturgy. If there are initiatives to teach Arabic
in the extension countries, we encourage them. The Maronite Church does not consider linguistic
diversity as a hindrance for its mission or for the unity of its children.
Chapter IV : New horizons for Maronite Cultural Work
First : Sports and Entertainment Culture
1. Entertainment adds to the Humanity of Men
32.
Facing the uniformity of the lucrative productive consumptive intellect, for the human being
gets easily drifted towards the continuous work cycle, the need for rest and for entertainment32 so to
gain back inner peace and joy in life. And since the mechanization of work has become today semitotal, and since it touches all domains in life, even agriculture, man has lost the opportunity of using
his physical strength and of exercising his body in a natural way. He also has distanced himself
from earth and from nature, forgetting his relationship with them and often satisfying himself in his
office with his electronic equipments. For this reason, Vatican II called for “the good use of free
time to recreate oneself and strengthen one’s own body and soul”33. In entertainment and nonlucrative activities men can express himself as a being who is not satisfied with only material needs.
He in fact goes beyond this to yearn for a free and creative living, one that would enable him to
change the movement of the universe into a symbolic dance that expresses his joy in life.
Entertainment reveals the spiritual dimension of man who yearns to fully live life, searching for
adventures and challenges, admiring art and beauty; fulfilling himself through joy, festivity and
happiness, always trying to outdo himself. This is why Pope John Paul II thanks God for this
dimension in human life and especially for sports, for it is His gift to us and a sign for our present
times that strengthens basic virtues in youngsters like honesty, perseverance, sharing, solidarity,
32. Entertainment, meaning the free activity with the only objective of pleasure and joy.
33. Church in today’s world, No.61
18
friendship, and helps achieving a sane and harmonious unity between the body and the soul34. His
Holiness adds saying that sport activities may be “an opportunity for meeting and dialogue among
different types of people and a mean in building the civilization of love35”
2. Sports and Entertainment in Nature: a Path Leading to God
33.
It is in the essence of the Maronite spirituality to consider that the road to sainthood goes
first through the complementary and sane relationship of a man with himself. This includes his
relationship with his body and with nature because the everlasting power of God and His divinity
can be seen in all creation. (Rome 1/20) which also impatiently awaits God’s power to be freed
from its slavery to corruption (Romans 8/ 19-22). This is why the Maronite Church considers that
encouraging sports along with cultural and entertaining activities that are linked to nature are an
essential part of its Christian mission and special vocation. Activities in nature take a special
dimension when held in Lebanon, for its nature is not only the image of beauty and of God’s glory
as stated in the Bible (Is 35/2), it is also a Holy Land visited and stepped upon by Jesus and His
disciples. It is also a land of sanctity that is full with hermitages, monasteries, sites of prayer and
worship built and frequented by our Maronite fathers long centuries ago. Instead of considering
sport activities as a danger that either discards believers away of their spiritual obligations- like
their commitment to the day of God, or forces them to drift towards slavery to the body and its
capacities that are separate from the spiritual dimension, or even leads them to exaggerate in
competing and in seeking unsafe profit like, for example taking stimulators, or even changing these
activities into a material profit-making activity subject to commercial laws, The Maronite Church
can provide for its children and for others the opportunity of working out as a mean of
entertainment, as well as strengthening their body and reach a physical balance, rectifying their
relation with nature, and fulfilling themselves within a sane context that would enable them at the
same time to follow the path of knowing and loving God. This may call for the founding of
associations that would care for such activities in the light of this special spirituality. This is also
achieved through encouraging initiatives in parishes, clubs and pastoral organizations that fit into
this context. Since relationship with nature was in the essence of our Maronite monastic spirituality,
the Maronite monasteries can today play a pioneering role in launching this spiritual and apostolic
movement in all its new dimensions.
Second : The Culture of Dialogue
1. The Theological Bases for Dialogue
34.
His Holiness Pope Paul VI says “History of Salvation tells us specifically about this long
and diversified dialogue that God can lead with men in a astonishing way36”. His Holiness
concludes that the Church has to launch a dialogue in the world where it lives. As such, “the Church
becomes a verb. The Church becomes a mission. The Church becomes a dialogue37”. Consequently,
34. John Paul II, the big sportsmen responsibility in our world. Sermon at the big mass for the sportsmen jubilee, on
October 29, 2000. Catholic Documents, No. 2237, p. 1011-1012.
35. Ibid, p. 1011.
36. Paul VI, in Church, Catholic Documents, p. 1080.
37. Ibid.
19
dialogue is not considered to be a strategy, it is an existential state linked to the identity of the
Church, and to its vocation and mission. As for the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, the dialogue is
“first and foremost a spiritual position38” in which man faces his God. This position would be
reflected in his dialogue with himself and with the others. The dialogue then becomes “a spirituality
that transforms us from being distant from others to welcoming them, from refusing to accepting,
from rating others to understanding them, from slander to respect, from judging to loving, from
aggressiveness to kindness, from competition to solidarity, from repulsion to attraction, from
animosity to friendship39”. The culture of dialogue refuses fundamentalism, it refuses indifference
and marginalization of a different other. Both positions go in contradiction with God’s will, for “the
presence of others in our life is God’s voice”40. The culture of dialogue lived by the Maronites in
their oriental environment is based on these spiritual foundations, and on the principle of openness
to the other in all its peculiarities in society, politics and culture. The culture of dialogue becomes
therefore a space of interaction and a source of enrichment for the self and for the human
patrimony. The dialogue, important as it is, should be more than a means; it should also be an
objective in itself. It is therefore a humanitarian and spiritual value the Church should call for, teach
and live in itself and with others on different levels.
2. Maronites in Lebanon: Heralds of Dialogue in the World
35.
The Apostolic Exhortation insists that the Lebanese Christians “should safeguard and
strengthen their solidarity with the Arab world”. It also calls them to “consider their adoption of the
Arab culture, to which they have greatly contributed, a special position in order to establish, along
with all the Christians of the Arab countries, a sincere and deep dialogue with the Muslims41”.The
unique Lebanese experience has pushed Pope John Paul II to repeatedly proclaim that “Lebanon is
more than a country, it is a mission of dialogue and cohabitation42”. This is why, His Holiness hope
that the dialogue and cooperation between the Christians and Muslims of Lebanon will help in
inviting other countries to follow in their footsteps43”. This invites us to give the culture of dialogue
its political dimension, in the light of a pluralist society that gives to the values of open conviviality
and to the sharing in the national and civil responsibilities the role of a norm that sets the tone for
the interaction with others within a frame of democracy, and for the consecration of the national
entity. This helps in the elaboration of values and concepts that rule the political society, and helps
finding the meeting points concerning men, citizens, society, state, history and universe. This
culture of dialogue helps also in seeking to reach equality between the self and the other, in
existence, citizenship and expectations for a better future. This necessitates, nevertheless, some
spiritual courage in facing the truth44”sincerely , positively and objectively, in order to repair what
38. Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient: the Christian presence in the Orient: testimony and mission, no. 47.
39. idem
40. Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient: together in front of God for men and society: cohabitation between
Muslims and Christians in the Arab world, Bkerke, 1994, No. 44.
41. John Paul II, a new Hope for Lebanon, No. 93.
42. John Paul II, a tele-diffused message to the patriarchs and Bishops gathered in Bkerke, Osservatore Romano,
27/05/1990.
43. See A New Hope for Lebanon, No, 93.
44. Council of Orient Catholic Patriarchs, together in front of God for men and society
20
has gone wrong, and to avoid any negative repercussions, in a way that would serve the interest of
the entire society. The Maronites of the extension participate in this mission through their
relationship with other citizens in their countries, and especially with those who are of different
religions, and particularly Muslims. The Maronites, wherever they are, will be then the messengers
of openness and dialogue, and a living sign for the unity of the human family.
Third : The Culture of Human Rights
1. We are Suffering
36.
The present Maronite Patriarchal synod is being held in a very critical period of time
through which the entire Middle- East is passing. This will certainly have repercussions on the
cultural role of the Maronite Church and its relationship with its direct environment. The Catholic
patriarchs of the Orient state: “Men in our region are suffering. He has lived a great deal of crises
throughout modern history, to the extent that he is living in pain, holding his cross and following
Jesus on his path. He is undergoing inner -sufferings because of the psychological and social
constraints to which he can’t sometimes find a way out. He is suffering because of the bad
conditions of his daily life, struggling to improve his situation, as much as possible. He is also
suffering because his human, political and civil rights are doomed. He feels that others are denying
him these rights, and that they want to belittle him and to force him to yield, while his aim is to
exercise his share of rights along with other on the international scene and contribute in the
development of nations. He is suffering because of his inner chains, or because what is imposed
upon him, or because of the interference of others in his affairs, or because of the others’ downlooking at him, or because of the pressure tactics he is subjected to every day, both at home and
outside45. His Holiness Pope John Paul II expresses this pain also endured by the Lebanese person
who hopes that his cultural and spiritual traditions would be respected, and who yearns especially
for tranquility and prosperity, as well as for a real recognition of his essential liberties”46.
2. Invitation for a Prophetic Position
37.
The solidarity of our Church with the suffering person whose rights are alienated, whether in
Lebanon, in the Orient, or any other country of the world, and its work on helping him and freeing
him from oppression is intended to represent a prophetic position that would transcend the concern
of defending our individual and collective rights, although legitimate and important. “The Catholic
Patriarchs of the Orient state “liberating man and helping him to develop in a way that is convenient
with the dignity given him by God, resisting oppression whatever its source may be, represents a
part of the Mystery of Christ and the Church47” (See John 3/16). In the middle- Eastern societies, it
is a priority to petition for the rights of woman and to defend them, and to work toward
45. The Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, the Christian presence in the orient: testimony and message,
no.53.
46. John Paul II, a New Hope for Lebanon, no. 17.
47. The Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, the Christian presence in the orient: testimony and message,
no.55.
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“strengthening her position in Church and in society, in order that she entirely plays her role in
building the human life48”. Children and minors who suffer all kinds of violations of their rights,
either at home or in society, through forced hard labor, or through depriving them of their right to
knowledge and education, expect from us a non-compromising position and a steadfast commitment
to their cause. The right to life and freedom remains the basis for all rights, a basis that the Maronite
Church, with all what its establishments, will never tire in defending. This prophetic position
necessitates that our Church collaborates with local and international organizations which work
toward this endeavor, and seeks to insure a suitable scientific training in this field for its pastors and
children.
Fourth : The Culture of Communication and Modern Technology
1. A New Cultural Revolution
38.
Pope John Paul II considers that a real Cultural Revolution has been launched “innovated by
information and communication technologies (ICT), through new languages, new techniques and
new behaviors”49. In fact, it is possible to use ICT either to preach the Gospel or to preach against
it50. Man’s astonishment before his personal capacities and before the mysteries of the universe
requires of him to always remember that it is God who created the universe, and consequently “the
challenge that the Church faces is to lead him to God through his intellectual expertise to finally
know the Creator, thus benefiting from the achievements of modern science51.
2. The Maronite Church and Modern Communication
39.
The printing House of the Monastery of Saint Anthony Kozhaya, the first in the Orient
(1595) is the excellent proof of the positive and fast interaction of the Maronite Church with
modern technology and its use to serve its mission. In faithfulness to this noble history, the Church
is called nowadays to be at the level of a Cultural Revolution facilitated by the modern means,
especially that Maronites are spread all around the world and are in a dire need for communicating
among themselves and with all the cultural circles. This objective may be achieved through many
different ways. Encouraging and developing initiatives such as the “Maronite network”, linking
dioceses to each other and to the patriarchal See, not ignore the link to the Maronite universities and
scientific academies is a must. This calls for equipment and for renovation of the ecclesiastic
structures. It also needs competent people to undertake such tasks; Maronite youths should be
encouraged to assume their share in this project. Our Church has also to produce films and TV
documentaries, and to construct web sites to display its patrimony. It has become very important to
train priests and seminarians as well as all those who work in different pastoral and ecclesiastical
domains to efficiently use all these means.
48. The Council of the Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient, the Christian presence in the orient: testimony and message,
no.55.
49. John Paul II, the redemptory message, no. 37.
50. The Pontifical council for media, pastoral teachings: a new testament, 1992, no.4.
51. Pontifical Council for Culture, for a Pastoral culture, No. 1
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Conclusion
Inculturation is a continuous renewal in the Holy Spirit
40.
As the Holy Spirit was present and active in the mystery of incarnation since the beginning
(see: Luke 1/35), accompanying Jesus in his mission of proclaiming and achieving God’s kingdom
(see Luke 3/22, 4/18), He is also present and accompanying the Church in its historical path tin the
midst of the world. As Saint Mary gave birth to God’s eternal Verb by the intervention of the Holy
"Spirit, this same Spirit is fertilizing diverse cultures in order that they become a place for the
appearance of the Divine presence and His salvation plan. The Maronite Church, throughout its
evolution in different historical stages, tries to always listen to what the Spirit says (refer to
revelation: 2/7) and to distinguish the signs of the time (Luke 12/56). This is what makes of the
Maronite Church’s relation with culture a vital place to testify of the Lord’s active presence in the
heart of history, and His salvific work. Consequently, our Maronite Church knows that its
inculturation journey is a continuous renewal, in the light of faithfulness to own traditions and
patrimony on one hand, and openness to the expertise of the universal Church as well as to all other
societies and people. This text tries to express the present Maronite Church’s awareness of its
special traditions and valuable patrimony, and to express its desire of continuing to discover,
display, and safeguard them. It has also presented a diagnosis of the major modern cultural
challenges and proposed a method for the Church’s interaction with them. It offered at last some
new horizons for the Maronite cultural work that can provide many opportunities for the renewed
cultural presence of the Maronite spirituality in its basic principles and specific characteristics. All
Maronites have to take up the cause of this great mission, individually and collectively; by doing so
they would become signs of God’s charity and love to humanity and the entire world.
Recommendations
1. To establish a Maronite research Center, and an international Publishing House.
2. To establish a Maronite academy that links different Maronite scientific centers together,
and undertake activities on international level.
3. To establish a Patriarchal cultural center that collaborates in Lebanon with the Church’s
Commission of cultural properties which is one of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and
Bishops’ Committees, and with the Committee that is charge of patrimonial affairs; and to
establish another office that would coordinate activities pertaining to religious and spiritual
tourism.
4. To establish a Maronite committee for cooperation and exchange among Maronite dioceses
in matters concerning to experience human resources.
5. To establish a Maronite museum.
6. To establish a Maronite Central library that would house all publications related to the
Maronite Church.
7. To establish a magazine about the Maronite Church published in many languages and
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available on the internet; it would be specialized in reporting on the new Maronite
researches and activities in different parts of the world.
8. To establish, in each diocese, a special unit whose concern would be patrimony and
religious tourism.
9. To establish clubs and associations whose activities would be sports and entertainment,
especially in the open air, and according to the Maronite spirituality.
10. To send people – laymen, priests and monks - to specialize in culture and patrimony, and to
hire them on a full –time basis.
11. To take special and scientific care of the Quadisha Valley, and to transform it into a
Maronite pilgrimage site.
12. To take care of the Patriarchal Sees, and work on highlighting their historical and tourist
particularities.
13. To adopt fast and urgent rescue operations for the threatened Maronite archeological ruins.
14. To encourage Maronite artists by organizing international exhibition tours, by exchanging
expertise and by working on defining the Maronite art criteria, especially in the architecture
of church edifices.
15. To encourage the teaching of Syriac in Maronite seminaries.
16. To encourage the teaching of the Arabic language in the land of the extension.
17. To modernize the Church’s structure and administration on all levels, and in so doing, to
adopt modern technology and scientific expertise; moreover, to have the clergy and all the
pastoral staff use these means on regular basis.
18. To acquaint pastors and believers with the Human Rights chart, and to actively pursue the
cause of miners and of woman’s rights.
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