MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –
Source: The Holy See in Italian
by Father Ibrahim Faltas ofm *Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) – The Franciscans opened their first school in the Middle East, in Bethlehem, in the Holy Land, in 1598. Since then many other schools have been opened to offer the children and young people of Holy Land the possibility of education and other opportunities for growth. For many years I have been director of the Schools of the Custody of the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, in the West Bank and in all our eighteen schools we have always favored scholastic and personal training, we have favored welcome and inclusion, we have transmitted values of solidarity and brotherhood. The young people and children, even if they come from different realities and environments, all have the strength of purity of heart and naturally behave in ways of peace. I experienced it by listening to their fears and looking at their desire and their desire for peace. In the morning, before lessons, Christians and Muslims recite together the prayer of Saint Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!”. It is a strong and beautiful moment: a sign of unity and brotherhood. Seeing them play and run in the school courtyards convinces me that peace is action, it is movement, it is life, it is not just the absence of war. The school, in addition to giving training through the educational path must provide personal training tools. In the Holy Land the educational path needs more attention and more involvement of all school components. To the subjects and disciplines foreseen in a normal school organization, we must add peace education which does not have an established weekly timetable but is an essential part of every moment experienced in school and outside of school. Peace education does not have a textbook, but behavior is the tool that must be used continuously by everyone, teachers, parents, pupils and must be aimed at everyone, especially in areas affected and threatened by war. Everywhere in the world, school education should avoid competition and favor sharing and mutual support. Where we live and breathe war this is indispensable. Sport, theatre, music are activities that contribute in a concrete way to the education and culture of peace. A few days ago we inaugurated a theater in the Terra Santa School in Jerusalem, the last year a swimming pool again in Jerusalem and a few years ago an indoor football pitch in Bethlehem. They are environments necessary for our boys and girls for their growth, to build themselves as men and women of peace of the future. Thus they learn the respect and solidarity necessary to be part of a team that has the same common objective: to win the selfishness and oppression. Thanks to the generosity of a priest, Don Giuseppe Ballia, who died prematurely, we were able to complete the theatre. The young people and children performed in the presence of the Minister General of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Father Massimo Fusarelli, the Apostolic Nuncio and the Father Custos, Ambassadors, Consuls, Directors of other schools and many Friars. The kids on stage were excited but very well versed in traditional songs and dances. Their show was titled “We Are the Hope!” and I am sure that their commitment on stage will materialize in their lives. Sport, theatre, music help the children and young people of the Holy Land, so tried by the war, to grow up in peaceful environments, with mutual respect and sharing behaviors of peace. (Agenzia Fides 20/4/2024)*Vicar of the Custody of the Holy LandShare:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
