By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

WHILE in the midst of a reunion with some 700 members of the De Venecia clan last Saturday at the City Astrodome here, House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia’s thoughts wandered off to Rome and Lebanon after receiving a most welcome news from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

The news: No less than the highest Catholic official of the world, Pope Benedict XVI, had approved his earlier request for sanctuary in different monasteries of the Maronite Catholic church in that country for some 30,000 Filipinos now trapped in war-torn Lebanon.

The news came at a most crucial time as Israel had already warned friendly embassies all over the world to pull out their trapped nationals at once because it was already preparing to make a ground assault on Lebanon to finish off Hezbollah guerillas hiding in that harsh land.

As a result, the Pope already directed his secretary of State, Cardinal Sodano, to contact Archbishop Speir, the head of the Lebanese Maronite Catholic Church, to provide sanctuary to the OFWs in his monasteries pending their final repatriation to the Philippines and solution to the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.

“The only one who can do that is Pope Benedict XVI and his Secretary of State, Cardinal Sodano, and through the Papal Nuncio in Manila,” De Venecia was quoted by the Philippine News Agency as saying.

Cardinal Spier lives in a Christian monastery fortress, called Bkarei, some 10 to 12 miles from Beirut, located on top of a mountain that is higher than Baguio. It is said to be the same stone fortress taken by England’s King Richard the Lion Hearted and his soldiers while fighting against Arab King Saladin, who was his mortal enemy, during the 3rd Holy Crusade, the Speaker narrated with a dash of Middle Ages history.

De Venecia, talking to local media, shortly after making merry with his relatives gathered at the Astrodome, said he also requested the Papal Nuncio to relay his appeal for the Holy Father to order the Papal Nuncio in Syria to open Catholic churches and monasteries in that land to accommodate Filipinos fleeing from the hostilities.

It helps the Speaker’s position that he had established contacts with key civilian and religious figures during his Landoil Group days in the Middle East in the mid-70s when the company was building houses and ports and drilling for oil in that part of the world. Cardinal Speir was among those valuable friends he made who will now play a key humanitarian role for the trapped Pinoys.

The PNA dispatch further quoted de Venecia: “What we should do is to send food in order not to put much burden on the Lebanese and Syrian monasteries and churches,” De Venecia said.

De Venecia admitted that this is the Philippines’ diplomatic approach with the Vatican government, aside from its constant touch with the American, British, French and Italian ambassadors for assistance in evacuating our trapped countrymen before the expected Israeli assault into Lebanon.