The message from “Une Jeunesse Levantine” to the ferocity of François’s detractors
“How could a Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, have favored a Muslim invasion of Europe?
A pope who defends the development of radical Islam.
That red Jesuit.
We need a European Pope who understands History and sees the difference between welcoming and invading… Welcoming human beings who respect us and want to integrate is a blessing… welcoming people who want to replace us, wipe us out, conquer us… No!”
This is just a sample of the flood of commentary found all over the internet regarding the recently deceased Pope Francis.
I can’t help but place these reactions in perspective with my own experience as a Christian who once went to Mecca, then was recruited into the radical Christian militia “Guardians of the Cedars” in Lebanon, and later became a “disciple” of Khomeini — the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and one of the most monstrous figures of the 20th century.
What the young Michel Santi lived through — the Michel Santi of today would like to explain to all those harsh critics of a recently deceased Pope that life is not a matter of choosing sides, of being for or against.
How can we make them understand the immense complexity and entanglement of all the communities that populate this world — and even more so, a geographically defined region stretching from Lebanon to Iran, passing through Saudi Arabia?
The greatest value of my story lies in deconstructing this hatred and misunderstanding.
Because the young man whose very real story unfolded in a dramatic period (between 1975 and 1982) is living proof that accepting and respecting difference requires no Herculean effort — only a willingness to know the Other, whom we are often so quick to vilify.