It is with a very heavy heart that I write this post today. This morning, Father Georges Massouh passed away. My story with the Orthodox priest started more than four years ago, when I was part of a panel that included the late priest. The panel included him, Father Abou Kassam (from the Catholic Information Center), Joumana Haddad and was moderated by Ziad Baroud. It was a MARCH event, and we were discussing censorship in Lebanon. I was stunned by how progressive he was, how he was in stark contrast with his peers, even the one on stage, about censorship and personal freedoms. He was as liberal as Joumana and I were, yet he was a priest too, and that personally blew me away and I instantly fell in love with him and his thinking.
He was the first (and still is) the only priest I truly respect, love and admire. He left this world at a time when men like him are needed the most. My thoughts are with your beautiful family on this rough day.
A Liberal, Rational Man of God
At a time when petty, disgusting men in black robes are trying to tell us yoga is satanic, and what we can and cannot wear in church, and what comedians can and cannot say on TV, Father Massouh was a much-needed breath of fresh air.
He was a liberal, and I insist on using this word. Massouh was vocal against any form of censorship. He’d wittily reply to religious zealots “Jesus Christ himself did not stand up for himself when he was insulted and tortured and killed, who do you think you are to do that yourselves? Are you better than God himself, do you know better what’s right and wrong or what God’s wish is?”
When hate groups such as the Catholic Information Center were telling us how homosexuality is a disease, and ordering the bans of books, movies, ads, culture and music that they deemed “insulting” to the Christian faith, Massouh was a voice going against the general current of regressiveness, hatred and intolerance demonstrated by most men of the cloth in Lebanon. It’s sad that he was ostracised by many of his colleagues for his progressive attitudes. However, it’s those very attitudes that made him beloved by many others, myself included.
True Love, No Hatred
In a country where Christian priests are usually spewing hatred towards people of other faiths or ideologies on their Facebook pages and from their pulpits, Massouh dedicated his career to Christian-Muslim interfaith studies. He believed Christians were an integral part of the Arab World, and would remain so, just like they have been for hundreds of years. He believed a civil, secular state was the best solution for a diverse society. He even insisted that religious groups should be the first to demand a secular state and a true and complete separation of church and state.
Today, too many Christian voices are ones that sow discord, and seek to mimic the regressive behavior of groups like ISIS. They are misinformed, and focus on the banalities of faith like “miracles” and comparisons to other faiths, instead of Christian ideals that Jesus preached, such as caring for the needy, never judging others and seeking the common good instead of personal advancement.
Massouh Made Me Melancholic About the Faith I Lost
In one of the fortunate occasions I saw Father Massouh and talked to him, I joked that if I ever believed in a god again, I’d convert to Orthodox Christian to be part of his congregation.
Often these days, I feel nothing but contempt and anger at the religious. Massouh reminded me of the good parts of when I had faith, the forgiveness part, the selfless service to fellow human beings regardless of their skin color, passport, creed, gender or sexual orientation, the parts other priests preach and practice against these days. In an endless sea of black hearts, he shunned the deplorable parts of faith, and attempted to shift his congregation back to positive aspects that are often overlooked, if not outright contradicted by most priests and most faithful people today.
Father Georges Massouh made me feel less angry, afraid and disappointed in the faith I had once called mine. He made me hate my old religious self a bit less, and gave me hope that not everyone who was still faithful, was a hopeless case.
You Will Be Sorely Missed
As most of his friends and loved ones focus on him “being in a better place”, I will choose to focus on the rich life he had and the profound effect he had on me and thousands of other people who had the fortune of meeting him, talking to him or even praying with him.
Father Georges Massouh was a friend. He was a man I respected. He was a man that didn’t shy away from standing up to what he knows is wrong amongst his compatriots. He had courage and conviction, not just faith and rigid ideology. He was exactly the person we needed right now in these dark times. I hope his fond memory will be a guide for us to be more understanding and accepting of each other, I hope he will be a moral compass that believers and non-believers alike can take lessons from. Lessons of accepting the other, and finding common ground, instead of sitting in a box and festering fear, distrust and hopelessness.
One thing I will leave you with, is something he once wrote where he admitted that religious institutions have become more powerful than the religious individual, and that was detrimental to the faith overall. Groups like the Catholic Information Center are stronger than the average believer, and that has led to nothing but conflict, mistrust and an impasse in social and political matters.
Goodbye my dear friend. I am grateful to have met you and spoken with you. You will remain in my thoughts and memories for many years to come. The one priest that I truly loved and respected. Thank you for being an amazing human being.
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