The Oath of Humanity
receives Mary's Hour
October 10, 2024
at the Palais des Congrès in Perpignan!
The evening of October 10 in honor of Marie kept its promises in front of a large audience. The exceptional level of interventions and the quality of the speakers lived up to the ambition of the FIMB Monde network (Women International Broken Walls World) and its founding director, Evelyne Mesquida: to embody the Marian note of our time.
The guests of the Oath of Humanity receives the Hour of Mary impressed the audience with the multiplicity of sensitivities and respect towards the one we call the Mother of Humanity. A certain journalist took the liberty of calling the personalities of the evening’s casting “curious and exotic”. Perhaps based on the skin colors of a Muslim from Africa, a Buddhist from Tibet and a Catholic from the Orient? Beware of racist excesses! But that evening, the public did not see these differences, did not sense any strangeness. He saw on stage sensitive beings, gifted with intelligence, people in some way concerned by the same work: a call for peace transcending origins and allegiances. The magnificent panel of speakers moved many of the participants to tears. With Evelyne Mesquida setting the pace, everyone was touched to the heart.
From various backgrounds and in order of passage:
- Michel Armengaud – writer and lecturer at the Rosicrucian University International (U.R.C.I.): with all simplicity and humor, this scholar shared his research on the Black Virgins. They present their Child in majesty, sitting simply on a low seat, while surrounding him with their protection. So many symbols! At the dawn of the 21st century, they are still launching their invitation to the alchemy of today's man, a spiritual alchemy whose work will be the transmutation of thought and the evolution of consciousness.
- Philippe Benguigui – National President Zakhor Pour la Mémoire: he explained with his great energy the mission he took as his life path and distinguished himself as the guardian of the memory of the Shoah. His will in the face of trials, his very tenacity, led to the creation of the museum space of memories of Perpignan. He also integrated a more philosophical and mystical dimension into his reflection thanks to the evocation of the Chekhina. In Jewish tradition, she represents the divine Presence on Earth, a feminine figure symbolizing light and benevolence, and accompanies Humanity in its darkest moments. Thanks to the Chekhina, the duty of memory is no longer a question of simple historical recall but becomes a spiritual, ethical and humanist act.
- Serigne Assane Fall – Sufi spiritual guide of the Mouride Baye Fall brotherhood: having been unable to leave Senegal, his native country, he sent a video much appreciated by Muslims and other spectators. Maryam is described in the holy Quran as the only woman consecrated to God by her mother before her birth, and the only one to be greeted with veneration by the angels. For the Sérigne, women are the hope of Humanity and with all these conflicts, each as unjust as the next, we gain nothing by isolating ourselves. For him, the approach launched by Evelyne Mesquida joins the teaching of their Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba.
Thank you to the disciples who came to sing and pray on stage at the end of the speech: what sharing!
- Mgr Samir Nassar – Maronite Archbishop of Damascus: under bombs for years, Mgr Nassar left Syria via Lebanon to come to the evening (after his departure, the Beirut airport was bombed). His daily life oscillates between the atrocities of a meaningless war and the miracles of everyday life. But the suffering remains significant, as evidenced by the difficult-to-hear examples that he reported. A true missionary of Peace in a region devastated by conflicts, Mgr Nassar brings hope despite everything. He congratulated the Oath of Humanity initiative, born in 2017 before Pope Francis made an equivalent proposal to move towards more peace and mutual aid in this world. By adding the Marian mantle as a high protection in the Oath, we reach the only historical icon among the Maronites: the icon of Our Lady of Ilig, which the patriarchs carried with them wherever they traveled. Not without reason!
- Vénérable Thubten Wangchen – Director, Casa del Tibet de Barcelona and Member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile (Europe). The Lama made the effort to come directly from Dharamsala in India (place of refuge of the Dalai Lama) without stopping at his home in Barcelona to be on time for the Hour of Tara. In her 21 different forms, the feminine divinity is prayed to every day for the liberation of sentient beings from suffering. The monk presented Green Tara, symbol of action and the mantra to invoke it. His eloquence, his sincerity and the joy of his laughter gave a profound lightness to his intervention, instilling seeds of compassion in everyone. Despite the terrible events that befell his people, he appealed for peace to the leaders of this world, ending with the word “Amen”
- Evelyne Mesquida – FIMB World founding director: at the initiative of this extraordinary gathering, she framed the guests' speeches with two highly impactful interventions, making the link between her history and her commitment. She has been working to build bridges between all actors in society, currents of thought and paths of wisdom for more than 30 years. Now, this network is global. After all her appearances, putting Mary back in the spotlight today also means giving women their rightful place in the affairs of this world. In view of the burning news where it is not the most senior people who direct the lives of millions of beings, unconditional love, the natural tendency to protect children and to seek solutions are feminine values essential. Before the noble figure of the Mother of Humanity, women of all devotions are called to carry the Marian values to be put forward for the protection of all peoples and the planet. The fifth opus of The Oath of Humanity could well be about women.