The Mariapolis Center “La Sorgente” is located in Ain Aar, in a mountainous area, 20 kilometers north of Beirut. As it was in 2006, the year of the 34-day military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, even these days people fleeing the bombs that are devastating the South of the country arrive here, in this region with a Christian majority, and ask for hospitality . “It is normal to knock on the door of the Mariapolis Center and find the doors wide open,” says R. of the Lebanese community of 
Fireplaces. “Could we not welcome them? What would have happened to the ideal of brotherhood that we nourish and that should be our characteristic?” A similar experience had been lived in 2006. Even then, Lebanon was crossed by large movements of families and even then, the Focolare had welcomed in its Mariapolis Center, more than a hundred friends, families with husband and wife, grandparents, young people and children. “We met like this, and between us a relationship was born as brothers that made us share joys and sorrows, hopes and difficulties, needs and prayers. In a simple and sincere relationship, woven into everyday life, a true experience of brotherhood was born and grew, without filters or prejudices”. No one expected the situation to worsen like this, from one moment to the next. “ The Lebanese were preparing to return to school with a look of hope towards this new year” , says R. “And yet an unexpected storm broke out, relentless, threatening, deadly”, with “terrible consequences on a population thirsty for peace, justice, paths of dialogue”. In a few days, or rather hours, war actions have hit popular neighborhoods and the people have sunk into “a real nightmare” . UNICEF reports that according to the Ministry of Public Health, as of September 25, nearly 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, including more than 50 children and 94 women, and about 1,700 others have been injured since September 23. Mass displacement continues, reaching an estimated 201,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since Sunday, the Mariapolis Center “La Sorgente” has also been crowded with guests “who arrived with their fears, the trauma experienced in their villages or targeted neighborhoods.” They have traveled 120 kilometers by car, taking 5 to 8 hours. The roads are crowded with cars fleeing from the South. They leave the villages before reaching the big cities of Tyre and Sidon. Around them, they see the destruction of the recent bombings. Currently, there are 128 people staying at the Mariapolis Center in Ain Aar. Some come from the South, others from the popular suburbs of Beirut hit by the latest attacks.
It is not easy: “Their presence raises questions in the Christian community of the region,” the Focolare Movement members say. “We ask ourselves: are there members of Hezbollah among them who could threaten peace in the region? But the sense of solidarity is stronger than suspicion.” R. adds: “Where could they ask for asylum this time too? Where could they go, knowing they would be welcomed without reservations?” For the Focolare community, a new adventure begins. The welcome is done in coordination with local authorities, both religious and civil. A “competition” of solidarity starts – as is happening all over the country at this time. From the parish priest, to the parish faithful, to the volunteers. There are those who take care of the children by organizing activities and soccer matches for them. Those who take care of the aid needed for the welcome. “People arrive shocked, worried about their future, with the apocalyptic spectacle of destroyed homes and burned fields in their eyes, but also news of acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, friends or students who were killed in the attacks and will never see again. Together we come together, immersing ourselves in the present moment, with the faith that has allowed us to overcome adversity for centuries .” The “La Sorgente” Center aims to be, together with many places scattered throughout the country, true “oases of peace.” “The hope, the deepest wish is that we can soon return home. So much blood shed must make the desert of hearts bloom. We hope that this ordeal we are experiencing will open a breach in the conscience of the powerful and of everyone on the evidence that war is a defeat for everyone, as Pope Francis repeats. But above all we believe and hope that from this crucible of pain a message of possible brotherhood for the entire Region can emerge from Lebanon.”
M. Chiara Biagioni www.agensir.it