by Antonella Prenna
Ars-sur-Moselle – From the wounds left by the wars that devastated Lorraine to the search for a path towards reconciliation in Ukraine, the Holy Land and the Gulf. Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Metz on September 28 took on a significance for Bishop Aldo Berardi, O.SS.T., Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, that went far beyond his ties to his homeland. A native of Ars-sur-Moselle, just a few kilometres from Metz, the Bishop experienced the encounter with the Pope as an opportunity to revisit the history of his own communities, as well as the wounds of the peoples he accompanies today.
“I experienced this event with great emotion and deep involvement, together with all the other bishops who were present, including those from other countries,” he told Fides News Agency. Bishop Berardi took part in the meetings on Europe and interreligious dialogue promoted by Pope Leo XIV in memory of Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, as well as in the Holy Mass at St Stephen’s Cathedral.
“During Mass I was seated near Ihor Rantsya, Bishop of Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine Rite and recently appointed Eparch of Saint Volodymyr the Great in Paris. For those of us who are experiencing war at home, Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace and reconciliation resonated particularly strongly.”
It is precisely the history of Metz and Lorraine, a land marked by wars, deportations and divisions, that offered Bishop Berardi a key to understanding contemporar
“The destruction of entire villages caused by the three wars made the reconciliation process more difficult and demanding, even though, despite everything, it was eventually achieved by the founding fathers of Europe. This led Bishop Ihor Rantsya and me to ask ourselves a question: could the same path of reconciliation also be undertaken in the Middle East or in Ukraine?”
The European journey, the Apostolic Vicar recalls, was far from easy. “The history of these lands speaks of deep wounds, of young men forcibly enlisted and compelled to fight against their own French brothers, of expulsions and deportations. Even today, some tensions can still be felt.”
Franco-German reconciliation, he stresses, was not an immediate process. “In the past, it was difficult to forgive and then to reconcile. Even though there were symbolic moments of Franco-German reconciliation, for the local population it was a very difficult and painful process.”
It is in the light of this memory that Bishop Berardi now reads Pope Leo XIV’s words. “They were extremely powerful and a great source of encouragement for those of us living in areas of conflict. They offered us hope for reconciliation – a reconciliation made possible through goodwill, forgiveness and justice, while also addressing concrete issues such as land and property, the presence of communities and equality among people.”
According to the Bishop, this message can be taken up again by Christian communities in the Gulf, Ukraine and the Holy Land. “We will revisit this address in our communities as a reflection on the possibility of embarking on a journey towards reconciliation. It will be a long journey, but certainly an important one.”
For Bishop Berardi, the subject of war is not an abstract matter. Ars-sur-Moselle itself still bears the scars of past conflicts. “Every situation of war and conflict touches me deeply. Even my own church of Saint-Martin was bombed and later rebuilt. Eighty percent of the village was destroyed. So this is a particularly sensitive issue for me.”
This is also why, when the current war began in the Gulf, the Apostolic Vicar sought to reassure the faithful by explaining to them the different nature of the conflict.
“It is not a ‘classic war’, in the sense that aircraft do not arrive and bomb everything. It is a particular kind of war, involving precise targets, economic warfare and pressure. Unfortunately, debris from intercepted drones has fallen on homes, causing injuries.” Yet the consequences for the population are severe. “Many people have lost their jobs, many have left, goods are no longer arriving, supplies are not coming in and factories are closing. We are managing to get by with what comes overland from Saudi Arabia, whose bridge has fortunately not been bombed. The economy is struggling, and neither oil nor gas can be exported.”
For Bishop Berardi, however, the end of hostilities would not automatically mean reconciliation. “We always hope for peace, but peace on paper does not mean healing the wounds of the population, which in this region are deep-rooted. We think of Jews, of tensions between Shiites and Sunnis, and of the persecution of certain minorities. This war has also reignited tensions within Muslim communities themselves.”
The visit to Metz thus also became a moment of fraternity among pastors from Churches living in contexts marked by war. “For me, it was a moment of peace and reflection. Here, at home, I was able to meet and exchange views with other bishops who live in difficult areas. It was a moment of fraternity among us, also because the Church itself has gone through difficult times.”
In the words of the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, whose territory comprises Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the Cathedral of Metz ultimately provides a synthesis, with its stained-glass windows bearing witness to the presence and encounter of different cultures and civilizations.
“Metz Cathedral is a beautiful symphony of diversity that comes together to form the unity of the cathedral. It is also an example of unity and reconciliation,” concludes the Bishop.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.