"LET'S BE PEACEMAKERS" - DECEMBER 2024

Let's walk together - Letter December 2024 

Dear readers,

here's the 3rd letter of the year, still on the theme 

"Let's be Peacemakers!"

"In many places in the world, there is a need

for peacemakers who are willing to work out processes

for healing and for finding one another again." (pope Francis, Fratelli tutti § 25) 

The third letter is generally devoted to testimonies and/or actions carried out in connection with the year's theme.

"Peacemakers in the Basque Country"

The Basque Country is the place of a conflict dating back over 50 years, which has resulted in deaths, victims, prisoners, suffering and deep wounds in Basque society, even today . In 2011, the Peace Process was announced at the Aiete Conference in Saint Sebastian. The Peacemakers were involved on both sides of the border: a civil dynamic, people of "good will", a hundred or so personalities representing all the political, social and trade union sensibilities of the North and South Basque Country. They have enabled ETA to disarm and are seeking to reinforce the logic of peace and dialogue in the Basque Country.

Anne-Marie Michaud, a philosophy teacher and co-president of the Basque country's human rights committee, has been actively involved in this process for several years; she's a "Artisane de la Paix". She is also the author of three books: "Tales of the Old Dove", "The Broken Jar" and "Ximun Xori or the Cowboy's Ass". She gives us her testimony:

"Walking with the Atxik Berrituz collective (1), an actor alongside Bake Bidea (2) and the Peacemakers to prepare and live the day of April 8, 2016 was an anchoring, an articulation and a spiritual evolution in the exciting context of the Peace Process initiated in the Basque Country in 2011.

Being invited to take part in the meetings of this informal Christian collective turned out to be one of the nicest invitations I'd received in the Basque country, where I had to make my place since arriving there in 1973. It was an opportunity to put down roots in the Basque country and to find harmony between this part of the world and my faith, an intimate harmony comparable to the one I had experienced in Lebanon reciting the Our Father in Arabic, coming as I did from Morocco, a Muslim country where, alas, the Christian faith was lived in French. There are sometimes junctions where exile seems to come to a temporary end and 'we feel propelled towards the superior reign of the spirit', says François Cheng (1929, poet).

To live up to this invitation required an effort of articulation with my experience and commitment as a woman. At first, I perceived a large zone of unknowns and strangeness in each other's local, cultural and customary references. Then I gradually discovered what animated the members of a kind of underground church, traversed by opposing but active forces. I had only vacation memories of magnificent religious ceremonies, and I had to refocus on a new Basque church, in depth, thanks to the actors of Atxik Berrituz who lived their faith without magnificence, critically and off the beaten track. They had contacts with families affected by the conflict through their husbands, brothers or sisters, sons or daughters, imprisoned or dead militants, and possessed unprecedented, fine, subtle, essential information. They brought me closer to the world of total commitment, militant prisoners and their evolution. There was also the appreciable precaution that the existence of Atxik Berrituz remained independent of the political parties driving the Peace Process, while still living the militants' life.

Atxik Berrituz's activity was an unprecedented Christian experiment in a secularized world, showing that 'the reservoir of Catholic meaning has not disappeared from the political scene', as the researcher X. Itçaina puts it. Through the vigils organized in the parishes, I learned about the humility and courage of the testimonies, and the refusal to accept the possibility of Christians committing themselves in the name of their faith and their love of country. I came to better understand, deepen and articulate my relationship with the Basque country and its society, which is often complex, i.e. crossed by irreconcilable forces.

The tone was set from the outset: 'Atxik berrituz' means standing up and renewing oneself. Renewal is by its very nature never finished; on the contrary, it reveals a duration and an evolution experienced in the activity of the collective, but also personally in this tension towards peace.

What exactly did the meditation, prayer and singing during these vigils, prepared without any preventive measures or restrictions other than that of not hurting anyone, bring me? They enabled me to see how this 150-year-old conflict had sclerotised us, sometimes sacrificing the value of the individual and of relationships. It was often the women who bore witness, overcoming the strength of the men's voices. But above all, these prayer vigils were a bold public commitment that went beyond prejudice and habit. I saw that pain causes long-lasting suffering, isolates and divides, but I also saw and remembered that listening, speaking, watching and being listened to can break the silence and perhaps lead to less suffering. It was demanding, but it echoed my own experience, and helped me to come to terms with the fact that everyone, even the enemy or the person who simply annoys me, is worthy of his or her rights and duties. Atxik Berrituz was an unforeseen path, creative in faith, where we had to improvise our way forward, even if a certain know-how gradually took shape, modestly comparable to restorative justice.

Bayonne, April 8, 2017 : press article (excerpt)

“This late April 8, 2017, ETA, the last armed organization in Western Europe is completely disarmed.

Today at 3:00 pm, around 20,000 people gathered under a blazing sun, in a central square in Bayonne, where a sober, dignified, respectful act took place, with an intervention by two Artisans of Peace: Mixel Berhokoirigoin and Michel Tubiana, who recalled how the initiative of civil society made it possible to unblock and resolve a situation that had been blocked for 5 years."

       

 On 8 April 2018, the Tree of Peace, "Arbolaren Legia" (the truth of the tree) was inaugurated Bayonne

In the words of the artist who designed it: "The end of violence brings with it the end of its symbols. The axe, characteristic of ETA, appears in reverse, symbolizing the end of an era". As the saying goes: "The tree is so generous that it gives its wood to the axe that brings it down".

In this depiction, the axe is turned upside down and its handle is renewed, becoming the tree's nest. This is an impossible image, since the axe could never harm the tree of which it is a part.

For the Basques, the tree has historically represented the place for discussion within village councils, and the Gernika Tree - already mentioned in the 14th century - was considered the "soul" of the country, which is why it was targeted in 1937.

The trees were the meeting places for village councils all over Europe; in France, we know the Saint Gervaise elm, the Gewenheim lime tree in Alsace, the Gisors elm in Normandy, and so on. In his encyclopedia, Diderot says: "There are still several seigneurial courts where the judge gives his audience under the tree". Trees are a fundamental part of European culture, and in the 21st century, they're also an ecological necessity.

The Tree of Peace at St. Mary's school in Biarritz

"Peace is a continuous creation", said Raymond Poincaré, "May we all make our contribution to this fragile and precious edifice..."

Each of us, at our own level, can be a Peacemaker. The St. Mary school in Biarritz planted a tree of peace with the active participation of parents. Here's what the school newspaper had to say:

"Last month, Sainte Marie officially became an active school for peace by signing up to the A Tree of Peace in my school project.

This is the culmination of a joint initiative by the school and the parents' association, which builds on the work already undertaken by the teaching team (King of Silence, Reconciliation Bench, etc.) and corresponds to the theme chosen at the start of the year, peace, already illustrated by the white Christmas market and the school climate project.

It also reflects the values of the Servants of Mary's educational project: respect, listening, trust, justice, freedom, tolerance, equality, welcome, benevolence, love.

This project also took physical form: our Tree of Peace was planted during the vacations, and our children had the pleasure of discovering it at the start of the new school year. It's a typical Basque apple tree, Apez Sagarra, known as the 'priest's apple'. We chose an apple tree because of its importance and that of the apple in Basque culture, its non-allergenic character and also because, as a fruit tree, it offers an observable evolution over the seasons: flowers, fruit..."

Here are a few testimonies::

- Mrs Salinas' class (GS/CP)

"This tree will help us to reconcile.", Lila

"When we're a bit sad, we touch it and think of lots of things we like, and we're less sad.", Siri

"When someone is sad when his brother has died (Coco, Aitatchi's brother), we can go under the tree to pray, to think of the one who has died.", Eneko 

"When we're angry or upset, we can go under the tree to be more serene.", Gabin 

"When your heart aches, you can go and see the Tree of Peace and you'll come back happy.", Eneko

- Message from a teacher of 10–11-year-olds:

"Since we inaugurated our Tree of Peace, every day several children ask to go right up to it. They tell me that it does them good, that they will put down their sadnesses, their worries, their fears, their arguments, their joys, their moments of success..."

- Message from the mother of a 5–6-year-old child:

"A few days ago, following painful memories of my mother's death, I was crying. My little girl came up to me and said: 'Come on, Mummy, we're going to do some breathing exercises and send up some doves of love to your mom.so she can get better and make you feel better too'."

From Argentina, the testimonies of those who give and receive help;

another form of peace and keeps the faith

• To be an artisan is to interweave the experiences of giving and receiving
  

This is the testimony of Blanca, who receives help from all of us so that she can then help others, generating a kind of network that sustains itself only through the peace of service.

"My name is Blanca Serial, I'm 66 years old. I live in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, in a town called Llavallol. My faith experience began when my two eldest daughters were invited to make their First Holy Communion, since when they've been over 35 years old. years ago, we never strayed, as a family, from service to the community, from bringing the children closer to God and the Virgin, always somehow God sought us out and found us. Over all these years, there have been many blessings and also many sadnesses. In 2002, my husband, Palmiro Ceruti, who was also a servant of God, died, and in 2004, my daughter, who was only 23. It was a very hard trial, but without God, it would be even harder.

Life was never easy for me, but it was unimaginable. It's the same people with their needs and realities that haven't let me fall. The door to my home is always open to anyone in need, and so are the doors to our chapel. an open invitation to the community. Our neighborhood chapel brings together in faith a whole social reality that must not be made invisible, and it succeeds with great effort in being a place of prayer, help and hope."

• A testimony from Our Lady of Monte Grande students

A group of classmates in their final year of secondary school are part of a project that began this year, accompanying families and children who attend an "evening table" area. The project is located in a neighborhood of Monte Grande, Argentina, a few kilometers from the School of Our Lady of Monte Grande. True Peacemakers, Agustina Sarramea, Abril Sosa, Carolina López, Milagros Contrera, Chiara Vázquez, Lucía Mármol, Victoria Acevedo and Luna Ballejos bear witness to their social sensitivity:

"We'd like to share a learning experience that we find very moving. We visited an 'evening table' area with the initiative of providing academic support and collaborating in the preparation of food for families most in need. During this activity, we not only had the opportunity to help people facing difficult situations, but it also gave us the chance to experience a project full of learning, solidarity and empathy.

This was very meaningful for us, as we were able to feel the gratitude and affection of each and every person we helped at every moment. This project, although short because we'll soon be finishing our studies, has left a mark on our hearts, showing us the value of collaboration and how much we can help those in disadvantaged contexts through actions of solidarity. Part of the project is to prepare a popular cooking pot every Thursday: we normally prepare food for 50 families, which became a big challenge.

As bridge-builders bringing peace to families, it was gratifying to see that our work could help in some way: in this case, giving food to a family. On the other hand, it was moving to see how a family of nearly 6 members was fed on a single ration. This inspired us to keep looking for ways to build other bridges: like offering goods, bringing toys for Children's Day, or our latest action to change Christmas for these families, by preparing and bringing Christmas boxes for each of them. The adversity these families face, and that we've witnessed, has led us to keep looking for ways to bring them hope and peace.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, tutoring takes place in the 'evening table' area, where several of us have had the opportunity to participate, helping the children with their learning. The ages of the children are very varied, some being 2 or 3 years old, others 9 and others up to 11, so the academic subjects in which we helped them depended very much on them. In each class, we helped the children with their schoolwork, explaining subjects they didn't understand or simply hadn't seen at school.

It was exciting for us to see the children come to class, some on their own, some with their parents, some willingly and some not, but they always stayed until the end of the class. We were surprised to find that, despite their socio-economic background and vulnerability, families cared about improving their children's academic training. Sometimes it wasn't just about teaching them a language or math, but also about listening to them, offering them a space where they felt valued, and encouraging them to trust in their abilities."

As we journey towards Christmas, let us implore Mary, Queen of Peace

Let us pray for peace on earth,

for the peace of earth is sick to death.

Help her, sweet Virgin Mary, help us to say

peace to our poor world.

Peace to our poor world.

You who were greeted by the Spirit of peace, obtain peace for us.

You who finally gave us the Holy Child of Peace, let us have peace.

For the anguish of human beings, we ask you for peace.

For little children sleeping in their cradles, we ask you for peace.

For the old who want so much to die at home, we ask you for peace.

You, the mother of the helpless,

the enemy of stony hearts,

shining Star in the nights of confusion,

we ask for your peace.

Amen