Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

45 WITNESSING MERCY FOR PEACE AND RECONCILIAT ION and defeat. I began to pray and entreat the Lord, asking for mercy for the martyrs, sustained patience for the mothers, protection for my husband and children and all of those kidnapped. I also asked God to put mercy in the hearts of those who give the command to kill. The big surprise came when I received a letter from Martin asking for five copies of the Holy Bible – the New Testament – as well as the Practical Interpretation Book. It was at that point that I realised that it must have been that dialogue that left a positive effect, even if it was a while later. Again, I asked the member of ISIS about his son’s situation, who had become worse and was bed-ridden in the hospital. I sent him some Saint Charbel holy oil and asked him to rub it on his son and pray for his recovery. He then asked me about what prayer he must say when he puts on the oil. I said: God knows what’s in our hearts, and all you need to do is pray to God however you want, but with the conviction that God will answer your prayers by healing your son. Amongst the letters that Martin sent to those who had been released, one was titled The Joy of Christmas and Christmas Time . He asked me to prepare for Christ- mas as if we were going to gather as a family, and put up the tree and the manger with the nativity scene, so that Christ will be our pillar of hope yesterday, today, and forever, and to have confidence in His mercy that will bring us together again soon, because He is a loving God and the Saviour of all humankind. I am very lucky that God has chosen me to walk with Him on the road to Calvary and to see the Resurrection and new life through carrying dialogue, perseverance, and acceptance of the Other. In conclusion, I wouldn’t describe the members of ISIS as doves of peace, but people who bear a culture of intimidation, murder, and expiation. But there will always remain a small space for humanity, mercy, and open dialogue through which we can remove the ashes from the embers. This is what I achieved with love, faith, and accepting the Other which, at the end of the day, yielded fruit as a grain of wheat that landed on the good soil and yielded fruit with the return of all of those who were kidnapped, one full year after the kidnapping. I would like to note that I intentionally left out the name of the member of ISIS with whom I communi- cated, not in fear of him but in preservation of God’s mercy that has spread in his heart to accept the Other and help all of the other kidnapped people. Caroline Hazcour Caroline Hazcour lives in the Al-Hasakah Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic and teaches project manage- ment at the faculty of economics at Al-Furat University. After volunteering for Caritas in 2004, she became a director of the Al-Hasakah Caritas Centre in 2007. She has also worked for the Syria Trust for Development since 2011 as coordinator of the Al-Hasakah team. Caroline married Martin Temres in 1991 and has three children. Opposite page: Caroline Hazcour with Martin Temres (left) at the Aula Magna of the Pontifical Gregorian University during a plenary session