“Before taking a single step and joining the ranks of the Palestine Liberation Organization, I had to contend with a lengthy battle with myself. I thought long and hard about what I’m setting myself up against, gave great thought as to the results of my actions, and was fully aware that joining the ranks of the resistance and directly partaking in its actions will have dire consequences, including prison. Despite this, I did what I planned on doing, and repeated it many times over, does this not mean that I premeditatively marched to my destiny with open eyes and a conscious mind?”

 

Excerpt from a letter written by Bishop Hilaron Capucci to his lawyer, from inside his jail.

Resistance, to Capucci, was not an adventure to be traveled by way reaction alone, but also by faith, and deep thought into what is right, and choosing one’s path.

In Capucci’s understanding, Christ was the first martyr, and unity was the regular way in which people led their lives among the East’s different and diverse components. Because Capucci’s beliefs were clearly, brilliantly, and coherently based on resistance, he transcended above geography, uniting it. He was the son of Aleppo, Syria, who carried Aleppine soap bars and Aleppine thyme when he traveled to Rome. He always used to say “I am a son of Syria. When I went to school, and before we went to class, we used to get up and sing ‘Biladol Orb Awtani’ (The Arab Lands are my nations). Syria taught us to never live in isolation, and to open our hearts to the entire world, and especially our Arab nation.” 

He was also the son of Egypt. On the day Jamal Abdel Nasser passed away on September 28, 1970, Bishop Capucci called on all bishops in Al-Quds to raise black flags, and ring church bells during his funeral. He is also the son of Palestine, which cast its shadow on his thoughts and spirit. And thus, he confronted, and challenged, was imprisoned and banished for its liberation, and always chanted “Al-Quds is a part of me”.

In honor of the bishop who always worked to ease the worries of Palestinians, Al Mayadeen will broadcast a documentary on the perilous road he trod, and which he paved for those who came after home. “A Bishop and Revolutionary” was the title chosen by Al Mayadeen to tell the story of the “armed bishop’s” life.

The cast: We stood before a very rich experience

The documentary’s director, Yara Abou Haidar, considers the documentary as an attempt to tackle some sides of the bishop’s life and immerse oneself in his experience. To her, the documentary’s importance is manifested in his journey between Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, and the documenting of testimonies from people who were close to the bishop and shared his experience. She says this visual content was made because this figure is worthy of being discussed, for people to understand its importance and uniqueness.

Abou Haidar also considered that the bishop’s life was tackled in terms of his story. He was a humanitarian who resisted oppression and occupation for purely humane reasons. She adds: we used symbolic shots in treating this film substance to capture the essence of the idea, and used the archive we accumulated to trek back in time with memories.

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The documentary’s scenarist, Mohammad Faraj, says it includes live testimonies of the lived experience with Capucci. According to Faraj, they used memoirs that contained some form of storytelling and includes the bishop’s personal experiences and his most famous acts of resistance.

As for the content itself, Faraj said the primary challenge was that we stood before a very rich experience, which was full of events and meanings. On the other hand, we tackle the model of the bishop who has a deep reading of Christianity, and his direct relationship with the principle of resistance, which he derives from the experience of Christ himself. On the other, we also approach the challenge posed by the occupation, imprisonment, and exile. We also tell the story of his participation in the Gaza aid ship at the age of 85.

Faraj sees that the greatest challenge was in using the bishop’s many experiences and classifying them in such a way as to make for easy viewing.

The documentary’s producer, Zahi al-Aridi, reveals that guests were chosen in accordance with their relationship with the bishop in the many stages of his life. From his jailer to the writer of his memoirs, Sarkis Abou Zeid, and the people who were in direct contact with him. Who were the people who were close to Bishop Capucci? What did he tell him about his life or certain events? The documentary shows the bishop’s importance as a symbol and resistant religious figure that believed in the Palestinian cause, and in revolution and revolutionaries.

Al-Aridi says that questions to the guests revolve around the time they were in close contact with him, how they would describe the bishop, and his upbringing and struggle. Did history give him justice? Did he ever feel regret?

Our colleague, Hanaa Mahamid, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in occupied Palestine also added live footage and interviews from the occupied territories to the documentary, which were very valuable in presenting a closer image and lively understanding of Bishop Capucci’s life.

The three-part documentary on the late Hilarion Capucci, produced by Al Mayadeen TV, and entitled “Bishop and Revolutionary” will show the minute details of the Bishop’s experience, and the main events in his life, beginning with his childhood, through interviews with people who lived with him closely in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Europe.

The documentary will premiere on Al Mayadeen TV on Sunday, January 16, and will be broadcast for three weeks at 21:00 Al-Quds Standard Time.