“Open for Bethlehem’s Message”
Why is Jerusalem such a special place for you?
Brantschen: Jerusalem is the Gordian knot of the Middle East conflict. However, unlike Alexander the Great, we can’t just cut through the problem with a sword. A solution there will require a quite different approach.
Gyger: In Jerusalem, all the branches of Abraham’s family – Jews, Christians, Muslims – are represented within the smallest space imaginable. All of them are involved in the conflict in which the country finds itself, and all of them have their positions and arguments. For our part, we take all the participants very seriously, including their religious traditions. We understand and accept their situation without reservation. Together, we then ask ourselves how Jerusalem can become a city in which peace can be practiced, and from which peace can be spread.
What do you do, exactly?
Brantschen: We support initiatives and projects that follow goals similar to our own: Jerusalem as an open city for learning peace in the world. For example, there is the International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC), a peace organization led by a Palestinian, Rami Nasrallah, which together with Shlomo Hasson, an Israeli university lecturer, has formulated a realistic political vision as to how Jerusalem can become the single capital of two nations. Also with the IPCC, the Lasalle Institute founded a pilot project in December of last year: the Future Leaders Forum, for the education of young Palestinians. We are currently planning a conference in Switzerland on the initiative of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. For the leaders of the church, Jerusalem is a holy city, a legacy to humankind, a city of two peoples and three religions. It has a truly unique character that makes it different from every other city in the world – a character that far exceeds any local political sovereignty.
For you, what is the specific contribution of your institute?
Gyger: There can only be peace if there is a win-win situation for everyone. This cannot happen with the methods used up to now. You can’t produce anything new, either from what is there now or from what was there before. We need new perspectives — and for this, we need spirituality. This is the Lasalle Institute’s contribution.
You organized a silent meditation service in the Baby Hospital during Advent. Could you tell us about this experience?
Brantschen: The Caritas Baby Hospital is a sign of hope for the people there and throughout the world. We were cordially welcomed and given the opportunity to talk about our work. Once again, we experienced how joining together in silent meditation can be a source of power and reconciliation. Amidst the tensions of the Middle East conflict, we could glimpse the meaning of “Silent Night, Holy Night“, and we became open for Bethlehem’s message: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men.”
