On a proposal from the JPIC national council, a group of 10 friars representing the Friars Minor of Italy went to Syria from September 16 to 23. The objective was to meet the brothers in Syria and to show a sign of concrete fraternity. We wanted to listen, to communicate our spirit of solidarity to the friars and the people who have been living in war for the last 7 years.
It was the extraordinary experience of grace, with warm hospitality from the Syrian friars both in Aleppo and in Damascus. We brought to those communities a cross which was a gift from the friars of La Verna and a stone taken from the spot of stigmatization with the hope that their wounds could be transformed into wounds of salvation.
We stayed in Aleppo for 3 days. We have seen the terrible wounds of the war, with destroyed houses, churches and the historic center reduced to rubble. The city had 3.5 million inhabitants but today it was reduced to 1.5 million. The number of the Christians also has decreased from 350,000 to 30,000. Br. Ibrahim gave us the opportunity to meet all the parish groups, from adults to university students, and we were deeply moved by the fact that the community was very lively and full of faith. We were able to see the numerous projects of community revival that revolve around the convent: the distribution of food packages, the reconstruction of the houses, the arrangement of the cemetery, to the financing of projects to rebuild the basic facilities such as: pastry, butchery, tailor…
So far, 500 projects have been financed, while another 300 are still waiting for financial assistance. It was non-repayable loans that could create a virtuous circle of resurrection in such a helpless situation. We as the members of the national JPIC council will strive to support these revival projects. Also, it was very interesting to see that the various Christian sects coexisted in harmony like a mosaic. There are 6 Catholic and 3 Orthodox rites only in Aleppo. We stayed in Damascus for three days. We were able to learn more about the reality thanks to the help of the local friars. We confronted and understood the great complexity of the situation, which often the Western press simplifies or falsifies. We had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Umayyad mosque in the historic center of Damascus, which once was a Christian basilica, and some Christian villages with ancient monasteries.
Syria is a huge mosaic of religions, rituals, traditions, where diverse parts have been coexisting with harmony. At the same time, Syria is in a strategic geopolitical position both for energy resources and for the control of the territory, which means the interest of Russia, USA, France, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel in the question of Syria. It also explains why this war seems to have no end. Everyone wants his own shares and therefore, finances the war from which more share is required. A world war was carried out here on a regional scale at the expense of millions of innocent lives. We pray that the Syrian people may soon get back to live in peace so that the Syrian youth can dream again for their future. Now we have open eyes, attentive ears, and our hearts will never be indifferent to the violent reality. For those in need, we are preparing a video footage of our journey in Syria, which was a pilgrimage to make known the serious wounds of war and the signs of rebirth of this land.
Br. Francesco Zecca, OFM
JPIC Animator & Coordinator GPIC,
Province of Assumption B.V.M. – Lecce