2.03:  The Candidates (2008)

A second conflict was connected with Ashour and Sameem. Ashour had been proposed by us as a difficult candidate, but remaining a lay brother, he might have been accepted for his vows, because he was the very first vocation after Fr. Bashar, and with us for about 10 years. After some canonical difficulties made by the provincial, because they had pronounced their vows in Baghdad, Ashour was called to come to Rome, for the profession, with Sameem and Mejassir. Fr. Bashar Warda also went to Rome and reported what happened. Suddenly Ashour started to pretend that he had right to become a priest and thus to complete his studies. Because of his lies the provincial got disturbed and against our advise, he had Ashour send back to Baghdad to collect his affairs, and to come to Wuersburg, the famous “formation house”. From there he was allowed to complete his studies in Lebanon, where he continued to blackmail us, according to one Iraqi student who had to live with him there. Finally, in 2008, after completing his studies he went to visit his mother in New Zealand, and up till now didn’t come back. In this painful event, Sameem hadn’t been innocent. However, although we asked that he should stay in Rome, he was ordered to go to Wuersburg and learn there “Hoch Deutsch”. After more than one year he collapsed, because of the lack of community life and understanding in the “formation house”. After his solemn vows there, he left the congregation. He was accepted in the diocese of Detroit and ordained priest, so that he could live there in the neighborhood of his dear mother and brother, also a fine Chaldean priest who was living in those places.
During that period also, two Lebanese confreres were send to Italy for their noviciate. Both had lived for some years in our house in Beyrouth, Sinn el-Fil, Boushriye, and studied theology at the Maronite Monks University. One of them, Salam, who after he had left the Petits Freres, joined us, and Fadi, a member of the Greek Melkite Church in Lebanon. After their noviciate, the lived for a while in San Joachino convent in Rome, where they were accepted for their vows, and also the priesthood. We were never consulted about these important matters. As soon as they were ordained, Salam asked to be transferred to the Italian province, and Fadi to the Canadian, and when refused, to the France.

A third clash happened at that time. In the midst of the school year 2006-2007, Tha’ir and Karlo, doing their first year theology  in Ainkawa, together with Menhil working with us in Baghdad, were ordered by the provincial to come to Germany in order to learn “real” community life, which, as some “well-informed” elements pretended, was completely lacking in Baghdad. Suddenly, unprepared, these confreres had to leave for Germany, where nothing was ready to receive them. Finally they settled in Bonn, to learn there English. Menhil who couldn’t obtain a visa for Germany, was directed to an Italian convent, next to Verona, where he remained for several months. Then he also came to Bonn, for the English language. All these confreres were complaining about the lack of community life in the German convents. Probably their idea about community life was different from the German one. However, at that moment, they were joined by three Lebanese candidates, and the idea was to send them all to the States for their noviciate. But all of a sudden, when Salam and Fadi had left the province, the provincial decided to refuse the three Lebanese confreres and to send them back to Lebanon, and even to close that mission. One of those confreres, Ya’qoub, pleaded in vain, crying that he might remain as Redemptorist. Then Menhil was allowed to travel to London to learn there good English, for three months, after he missed a pastoral conference in Scotland. Tha’ir was appointed to Dublin for the same reason. Karlo however should go to the States for his noviciate, although we had begged the provincial not to send him there far away, while Italy was more indicated.

Only Meyassir, completed his studies according to our plans, and is now decided to return to Iraq and help us in the mission work. He already was ordained priest, by the Syrian Bishop Mar Basilius, in his own village, in the presence of his parents and friends, during the Christmas days 2007.
Meanwhile Fr.Bashar has built a retreat house in Alqosh, and at the same time, he organizes the Chaldean seminary and the Faculty for Philosophy and Theology in Ainkawa. There also he constructs the new buildings for the Patriarchate, the seminary and a sisters’ convent. During the summer he made a journey with the students to Rome, and other European countries. During that year Fr.Bashar published two books, a meditation book and one about morals.
In Baghdad, as usual, the students of the Circle for Patristics celebrated the end of the year, in the presence of Mgr. Shleymoun Wardouni (June 2008). Fr.L.Cop completed the Arabic translation of two famous books: Lohfink’s: “Does God need the Church?” and Bodifee’s: “God en het Gesteente”. V.v.Vossel wrote a long article in French about the “Nestorian Mystics”, and a book “The School of Alexandria”. They plan to start a new project: Center for Eastern Studies, which contains two branches, the Institute for Theology and Philosophy, the lessons taking place in the morning (during 4 years) and the Faculty for Eastern Studies in the afternoon. The courses hopefully will start in Oct.next..