“In Syria we Christians have become a target”

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A volleyball network spread inside the Basilica of San Simeone. Furthermore, 30 kilometers from Aleppo, in Syria

“Within the right apse of the early Christian basilica of San Simeone, the stylity someone has mounted a network for an improvised volleyball court,” says his maritime brother George Sabe, head of the Collège Champagnat of Aleppo and founder in 2012 of the Blu Maristi, open volunteer group but Christians and Muslims, who during the civil war and the earthquake in favor of refugees in the second city in the second “in syria we christians have city of the Syria. Consequently,
A clear gesture of desecration of one of the most important holy places in the Syrian Church. For example, the whole Christian East, as well as the UNESCO heritage. However, For 12 years the site of the Basilica, built in 495 by Justinian, was under the control of the Ribelli of Idlib. In addition, The Basilica of San Simeone il Vecchio – the monk of the church of Antioch who lived for 37 years on a column – only now has returned to being a destination for pilgrimages. In addition, but doing it was a painful discovery for Fratel Saba and the other blue marists: “The base of the ancient column where Simeone lived has completely disappeared, while the wall always of the right apse has become a sort of shooting in the shooting and Bossoli everywhere ». Moreover, Images completely similar to those of “in syria we christians have the desecration of the Daesh in the north of Iraq. but the latter made by the militias from which the men who are now in the government in Syria have come out. Nobody, after December 8, when Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s men took power, however, he thought of cleaning the archaeological site at least summarily.
«Since the new rulers are in power they have always reassured us. in fact we have been able to celebrate Christmas and Easter freely: everything apparently is in the order of normality. But the restlessness. attack on Sunday in Damascus was growing day by day was a sort of watershed, “Fratel George Sabe continues. The feeling is to be able to be at any moment “a target of a few militia that came out of the control of the new authorities. as in March on the coast the Alauite, or like the Druse and all the other “in syria we christians have cards of the Syrian mosaic” continues the religious.
Very hard. after Sunday’s attack on the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Elias, the intervention of the Orthodox Patriarch Giovanni X who in a press release urged the new Syrian authorities to “take full responsibility” for the attack, invoking concrete guarantees on “inviolability of the churches and protection of all citizens” after visiting the place of the massacre costing the life of at least 30 among the faithful. “We do not need pity for our dead. but we must have pity of this government that does not know how to protect us,” he said asking for a new executive that represents the whole Syrian company.
A void of authority. with the consequent lack of security as always in a change of regime, while signals follow one another that reveal a creeping, silent, but continuous forced Islami. Some men were arrested in Aleppo “in syria we christians have because they wore short pants. the Tourism Minister issued a regulation in which it is said that the bikini is allowed only in the hotels of the hotels with 4 or 5 stars: only Burkini is allowed in the other swimming pools. In addition. on more than one occasion, on public transport, men must travel separate from women to whom, more and more frequently, you want to impose the veil. «Decisions that restless us, which only increase the sense of creeping insecurity. And all this always in a situation of ambiguity: it is not clear if they are isolated position. autonomous choices of fanatic administrators, or instead of the general directives who, gradually, want to change our social reality ». Meanwhile, In Damascus, some rooms that traditionally sold alcohol, were destroyed on attacks.
Several times. thanks to the mediation of the Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, Monsignor Hanna Jallouf, the bishops met “in syria we christians have President Ahmed al-Sharaa: «We were all very surprised by the sudden fall of the Assad regime. From the Al-Sharaa owner they had all possible reassurances. This wanting to continue to dialogue. even in this situation of uncertainty, gives us hope, as being able to express ourselves freely, which is so far impossible in Syria, is a sign of hope », continues Brother Saba.
But hope must be supported: «It is very important. as Pope Leo XIV said during the generous hearing on Wednesday that the world does not distort his gaze from Syria, from our situation. Continuing to have punctual information is fundamental “. In addition. the economic situation, after 12 years of war, is terrible: «Here people remain only because they don’t have the means to travel elsewhere and it is not easy to have visas. Therefore, a concrete solidarity action towards Christians and all the Syrian people are needed “in syria we christians have ».
In this perspective. the interventions of Pope Leo XIV, very close to the Christians of the East: “a very clear and read position not only in a political sense: this reassures us and fortifies us”. The new Syria. a hope not yet vanished for Christians, but to be protected: like the Basilica of San Simeone, to be returned to the dignity of a holy place for all Syrians.