Professor Michel Abs
Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
One of the most dangerous manifestations of corruption is when a corrupt individual is no longer content merely to benefit from an institution, but succeeds in turning the institution itself into a shield that protects him from accountability. At that point, the issue is no longer about one person who committed a violation or abused power; it becomes a structural crisis that threatens the institution’s history, reputation, culture, and future.
When a corrupt person wields influence, an entire system of defense forms around him. Followers, cronies, opportunists, profiteers, and cowards mobilize—not in defense of the truth, but in defense of interests tied to his survival. Some act in the hope of obtaining a promotion or privilege; others out of fear of losing their position; still others because years of subservience have deprived them of the ability to take an independent moral stand. In this way, the institution is transformed from a space for collective work into a network of personal loyalties.
In such an environment, truth becomes the first casualty. Facts are distorted, documents are concealed, information is selectively presented, and the narrative is reconstructed so that the corrupt person appears to be the victim, while those who demand transparency are portrayed as troublemakers or as people harming the institution. Direct or indirect pressure may be exerted on witnesses, while blackmail, threats, and intimidation are used to push vulnerable individuals into silence or force them to change their positions.
More dangerous still is that defending one individual may lead to sacrificing the history of an institution built over many years by dozens or hundreds of people. Achievements are neglected, values are eroded, institutional culture is distorted, and competent and honest people are marginalized, simply because acknowledging the truth might bring down an influential figure.
This phenomenon is widespread in many societies of the developing world. It cannot be separated from weak democratic education, the absence of a culture of freedom and accountability, and the spread of blind obedience to authority. When people are not taught from an early age that institutions are greater than individuals, that criticism is not treason, and that disagreement is a right, it becomes easy to transform loyalty to an institution into loyalty to a person.
The problem becomes even more serious when a culture of silencing prevails. Those who know the truth are afraid to speak, while those who are capable of objecting prefer safety. The corrupt person then uses this silence to expand his influence.
Saving institutions begins by restoring a principle that must never be compromised: no one is greater than the institution, no influence stands above the truth, and no position grants its holder immunity from accountability.
But slogans are not enough. Immediate practical measures are required: protecting whistleblowers and witnesses, preserving documents and preventing their manipulation, establishing independent investigative committees that are not subject to the influence of those under investigation, enforcing financial and administrative transparency, regulating conflicts of interest, defining powers clearly, and publicly announcing the results of investigations. Anyone facing serious allegations should also be removed from any position that would allow him to influence an investigation or pressure witnesses until the truth is established.
Boards of directors, oversight bodies, and employees must understand that silence in the face of corruption is not neutrality, and that protecting a corrupt person under the pretext of protecting the institution’s reputation ultimately destroys both the reputation and the institution itself. Reputation is not protected by concealing the truth, but by confronting it, correcting wrongdoing, and holding those responsible to account.
What is also needed is an institutional culture in which objection is recognized as a right, criticism as a tool for reform, and accountability as a permanent principle rather than an exceptional measure. Every official, regardless of how high his position may be, must understand that the institution will outlive him, that his authority is temporary, and that the institution’s values, history, and the rights of those who work within it do not belong to him.
The time has come to break the circles of fear, dependency, and silence. People of conscience within institutions must stand together, document what is happening, speak out, and refuse to participate in falsifying facts or justifying corruption. Responsible bodies must act before reform becomes impossible.
Institutions do not collapse only when corruption enters them; they also collapse when honorable people stop resisting it. Saving an institution begins at the moment when its people decide that truth matters more than individuals, dignity matters more than fear, and the survival of the institution matters more than the survival of any corrupt person, no matter how powerful he may be.
Do you know what the sharpest weapon is in the hands of those who dominate us, violate our dignity, and plunder our resources?
It is corruption.
Here, an obvious question comes to mind: Have people not learned that knowing the truth sets them free? Do they no longer remember the image of the Incarnate Lord, whip in hand, confronting the merchants in the Temple?
It seems that the memory of many has grown weak, and their will has withered.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord of the universe!