Charbel…
If Only Lebanon’s Leaders
Could Learn a Little from Him.
A monk from Bkaakafra who left behind no books, no sermons, no press conferences. He was the most silent of monks. Yet more than a century and a quarter after his passing, his picture hangs in homes thousands of miles away where families know his name before they know where Lebanon is on a map. This is the Lebanon our leaders should have been showing the world.
One man, without power, position, or titles, carried the name of Lebanon to every continent and presented it to the world as it should be seen: a land of humanity that heals, embraces, and gives hope. He didn’t do it with words, but with actions — with what happens at his tomb in Annaya. Thousands of people have been healed, comforted, or regained hope because they believed in his intercession. Charbel didn’t ask about religion, nationality, or age.
- Born in the village of Bkaakafra in northern Lebanon’s Bsharri District. Entered the Maronite Order as a young man, and left behind no books, no sermons, no public appearances.
- Spent his final years as a hermit in Annaya, in a cell adjoining the chapel of Saints Peter and Paul. He was, in her own words, “the most silent of monks.”
- His feast days are among the most widely observed in the Maronite Church and across the Lebanese diaspora — on every continent.
- Canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9, 1977. Tonight, the long-awaited film “Charbel,” directed by Nadim Mehanna and produced by MTV, has its world premiere.
- His picture hangs in homes thousands of miles away where families know his name before they know where Lebanon is on a map.
I, who have observed Lebanon from afar for many years, have often reflected on this. One man, without power, position, or titles, carried the name of Lebanon to every continent and presented it to the world as it should be seen. In contrast, our leaders throughout history have painted a completely different picture: a country of endless wars, instability, corruption, and a lack of leadership.
Charbel showed the world Lebanon at its best. Our politicians showed it at its worst.
What should Lebanon mean? To showcase our light, our diversity, and our openness to others in our region. Lebanon has done this beyond its capacity — but not in the right way. It has taken in more refugees than a country of its size can bear, and then its land has been violated by foreign armies, militias, and mercenaries. Today it is being wounded by both foreigners and its own children.
We have long been told that Lebanon is a country with a message. But what message does it convey today? A country that is incapable of making decisions and always waiting for a guardian to decide for it. But Charbel was that very message, walking on two feet and traversing continents when we were unable to carry it.
- Humility without position or title
- Silence instead of press conferences
- Action that healed, not words that promised
- Welcome to everyone — no religion, no nationality asked
- A Lebanon of humanity, healing, and hope
- The name of Lebanon carried to every continent
- Endless wars that are not Lebanon’s own
- Instability, corruption, and absence of leadership
- Words that promise, chains that bind
- Subservience to regional powers and foreign capitals
- A country incapable of making a sovereign decision
- The name of Lebanon carried as a warning, not a gift
His biography recounts that one night, his fellow monks filled his lamp with water instead of oil — yet it still lit. He didn’t explain. He didn’t boast. He didn’t hold a press conference. He continued to work quietly. This is what I mean when I say that Charbel doesn’t speak, but he acts — and he continues to act.
I read this phrase through Lebanese eyes. Lebanon’s path is for its leaders to believe in their country, to act responsibly, to raise their heads and see the light — and to stop burdening the people and themselves with new chains every day.
Chains of subservience to regional powers. Chains of submission to decisions made in other capitals. Chains of inability to make any sovereign decision that could save the country. For he who walks in chains cannot ascend.
“Don’t lead Lebanon to the brink of suicide and then run to Annaya to ask the saint to save it. And I say it frankly: we, the people, are not entirely innocent. We are the ones who put these people in their positions, who repeatedly voted for the same corrupt faces and barren minds.” — Elissa El Hachem · Faith & Freedom News
Tonight, at the premiere, many politicians and decision-makers in Lebanon will be present, and that is a good thing. Enjoy the screening. But I hope that you will learn something from what you see — and that at least one of you will leave the theater having decided to speak less and do more.
A salute to the creative Nadim Mehanna and to MTV, who made this exceptional film a reality. When the lights dim and the screening begins, they will sit before a work that will travel the world as Charbel himself did — carrying the name of Lebanon to countries that had never heard of it before.
This is what we want everyone to see about Lebanon: a country that possesses talent, intellect, youth, potential, and promise. All it lacks is will and determination.
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