The Phenomenon of Soufanieh

In the past two weeks we watched the 25th anniversary movie of the Soufanieh movement. Myrna Al-Akhras Nazzour, a Melkite Catholic in Syria got married to an Orthodox Christian in 1982. In the same year her life changed. Oil poured from her hands and body and she claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary, and our Lord at different times, and claims too to have had the stigmata, the wounds of which were watched by many people, especially in the Holy Week when both Catholics and Orthodox celebrate Easter together. Myrna visited our parish in Toronto in 2002 to a throng of believers. After a short prayer the oil poured from her hand and she blessed the attendees with it on their foreheads. She has now followers in the Middle East, France, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. Many sick people were healed through her ministry. Myrna’s mission, through letters, she says, are dictated to her by Christ and his mother, appears to be the unity of Christians through repentance. When we are celebrating Father's Day today it is fitting to remember Myrna’s message. If fathers are considered heads of their families, then the feast is the Family's Day. This is exactly what Myrna is about regardless of any supernatural phenomenon. She invites the family to be one, and when the family is one united, then it is a domestic church. It becomes a cell of the Church. How we can tell whether this is theologically sound, we will have to wait until Rome speaks. But a little guide may be helpful. Yes, it is helpful to note Myrna's true humility and humble yet beautiful thought. She is supported by many bishops including the former Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, who saw her unexplained phenomenon. Her call for unity is coming at a time when the Church has been seeking for decades, since Vatican II, to open up to the Christian "separated brethren", to cooperation with other religions and even to atheists who have the good will. It is also helpful to note that the movie features sincere people such as the late Fr. Maalouli and Fr. Zahlawi, together with Fr. Adel Theodore Khoury, the great Melkite theologian whose writings were quoted by the Pope in Regensburg two years ago. And this squarely puts the whole story in a Melkite perspective. The Melkite Catholic Church is the Church that is called here to be the bridge for Christian unity, particularly with the Orthodox Churches...Indeed for the unity of all humans. References: www.soufanieh.com