By Oliver Maksan
Visiting the Syrian
town of Al Qaryatayn, which had just been liberated from IS, the Syriac
Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II saw first-hand the devastation and the
grief of the people.
Talking to the
international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the
Church leader, who resides in Damascus, said on Friday that on the one
hand, he was happy about the expulsion of the terrorist militia from the town
where Muslims and Christians live. The terrorists had occupied Al Qaryatayn
last August.
"This is
certainly an encouraging development.”
He continued, “But the
residents who had fled now sometimes weep when they see what had become of
their town. It was particularly painful for me as someone with pastoral duties
to see these tears."
The Patriarch went on
to say that the infrastructure had been severely damaged. "When I managed
to visit the town with our Catholic brothers on Friday, I was shocked by the
extent of the devastation.”
“Many houses had been
completely or severely damaged during the fighting. Fittings had been
stolen," the Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church explained.
"It was
especially painful to see how the churches had been willfully defiled by IS.
Both the Syriac Catholic Saint Elian monastery and our Syriac Orthodox church
had been deliberately desecrated. Our church was even more severely damaged
than the monastery."
The Patriarch stressed
that the visit he made together with Catholics on Friday had been an important
signal. "At times like this we Christians must stick together. IS wants to
kill us all regardless of a Christian's church affiliation," Ignatius
Aphrem said.
"During my visit
my main concern was to give people hope. I told them that they should thank God
for their lives. Houses and churches can be built up again. A life lost cannot
be restored.”
“But as a Church we
will not simply talk about it; we will also give the people material help in
their reconstruction efforts wherever we can. The crucial factor is the faith
that God is with us. Our help is given in the name of the living God."
The Patriarch also
conceded, however, that it was very difficult in situations like this to bear
Christian witness and to forgive one's enemies. "In view of our
circumstances, it is not easy to overcome hatred and to ask God for the gift of
forgiveness. It will take time for people to find it in themselves to do this.”
“This is only human
and understandable. But we can't get around the willingness to forgive. It is a
basic element of Christian life."
The Patriarch
emphasized in this connection that the Syrians were experienced in the
co-existence of the religions. "In Syria, there is no war between
Christians and Muslims. What we're dealing with here is primarily foreign
terrorists coming to fight the jihad.”
“There are certainly
now Syrians who have adopted the jihadi ideology. But these ideas come from
outside, primarily from Saudi Arabia and the Wahhabism practiced there.”
“I therefore do not
see the reconciliation between Syrians of different faiths as the problem here.
This is possible. After all, despite the many difficulties we all lived
peacefully together before the war in Syria. That was the Syria we knew."
In view of the efforts
of the United Nations to bring about a political solution to the conflict by
holding discussions between the government and the opposition, the Patriarch
said: "If we Syrians settled things between ourselves, there would be no
problems, I believe. But we are not naïve.”
“The difficulty of a
political solution is that there are both regional and international interests
which come together in Syria. This makes the situation so complicated."
Ignatius Aphrem II
expressed skepticism about the representatives of the Syrian opposition
negotiating with the government in Geneva. "Of course, I hope that the
talks will be successful. But the opposition there does not have many adherents
here in Syria itself.”
“What's more, there
are many Islamists among them. We Christians and others do not want to live
under Islamic rule."
Patriarch Ignatius
Aphrem assumes that about 40 percent of Syria's Christians have now left the
country and fled to the neighboring countries or to the west. "I have no
illusions. Most of them will not return.”
“If it goes on like
this, we Christians in Syria will disappear, just as we have almost disappeared
in Turkey and Iraq."
The Patriarch
therefore rejects any emigration of the Christians furthered by the west.
"The best way to support us is to help us stay in our homeland. Moving to
the west is not a solution.”
“Being a refugee in
Europe is not a positive experience. It means you are culturally uprooted. It's
not good for the refugees and it's not good for the societies that take them
in."
The Patriarch
explained that both in Syria itself and in the neighboring countries there were
safe refuges for the people. "It would be much cheaper for Europe to help
our people to stay in Syria, or temporarily in Lebanon or elsewhere.”
“It would be important
mainly to help the projects of the Church on the spot. We are very grateful to Aid
to the Church in Need for adopting
this approach and helping people on the spot. I hope that more organizations
will follow this example."
With picture of the Patriarch amidst the rubble (© 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
