By Oliver Maksan
Thousands of Syrian
Christians are fleeing after fierce attacks by ISIS on the town of Sadad and
its surroundings, reported Syrian Orthodox archbishop of Archbishop Selwanos
Boutros Alnemeh of Homs.
Sadad is some 35 miles south of Homs and 65 miles north east of the Syrian
capital of Damascus. The region has been under attack by ISIS since late last
month.
In a plea for aid, the prelate told international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the
“Islamic State” has been attacking towns near the Christian town of Sadad since
October 31.
Maheen, a town located
seven kilometers from Sadad, has already fallen to the jihadists. He also said
that the inhabitants of Sadad and Al-Hafar had fled out of fear that the IS
fighters would advance even further and to escape the heavy fire.
According to the
archbishop, almost 15000 people have since left their homes and sought refuge
in Homs, Zaidal and Fairouzeh. He then explained that Sadad is still
endangered, despite the presence of Syrian government forces.
“We are afraid that
ISIS, which God will hopefully prevent, will conquer the town. We would lose
the center of Christianity in our diocese,” Archbishop Selwanos said.
Sadad had already been
taken over by a rebel alliance that also included the “Islamic State” for a
short time in October of 2013. At that time, the jihadists killed 45
Christians, some of whom they buried in mass graves, and laid churches and
houses to waste.
Father Luka Awad,
assistant of the archbishop for humanitarian emergency aid, told ACN during a
visit on Thursday that the people who had fled Sadad and its environs had
hardly anything with them.
“We are doing all we
can to help them in their need. And there are many of them. We are currently
working to get them registered.”
“For the moment, our
greatest worry is finding enough housing for the people,” the Syrian Orthodox
priest said, before explaining that in this, the church is dependent upon the
generosity of the people.
Syrian Christians
living in the US have responded positively to entreaties from the church and
are allowing refugees to use their holiday homes. Father Luka emphasized that
his diocese was currently only able to provide humanitarian aid and distribute
food and clothing to the people thanks to the support of aid organizations such
as Aid to the Church in Need.
According to Father
Luka, all civilians have since left Sadad. He said that government forces are
currently trying to hold onto the town. However, this is not easy. “The battles
are very brutal. ISIS uses heavy weapons and fights fiercely,” Father Luka
said.
Sadad is important to
ISIS primarily for strategic reasons, the cleric said. “Sadad is located close
to the motorway between Damascus and Homs. This is what ISIS wants. They want
to disrupt traffic.”
“Moreover, once they
have conquered Sadad, they will be that much closer to Homs. And the area also
has oil.”
According to Father
Luka, the jihadists also want to seize Sadad because it is a Christian town.
“When the IS fighters conquered Al-Qaryatayn, they made the threat: We will
kill all of the Christians in Sadad.”
The town of Sadad,
Father Luka explained, is a Christian center and of the greatest significance.
“The people there still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Moreover, we have
important churches there. It is really a center of our Christian heritage.”
“Its loss doesn’t bear
contemplating. We truly are fearing for our cultural heritage. We beg the
international community to put an end to this war. My people already
experienced a genocide one hundred years ago, in 1915. Now, in the 21st
century, we don’t need another.”
ACN has been helping
the suffering Christians of Syria since war broke out in 2011. By September of
this year, close to $9 million had been approved for humanitarian and pastoral
aid projects.
With picture of Archbishop
Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh of Homs celebrates Mass (© ACN)
Editor’s Notes:
Directly under the
Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports
the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through
prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul
II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work
in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing
transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings,
funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the
initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed
worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at
michael@churchinneed.org or call
718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street,
PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
