ASIA/SYRIA - Armenian Archbishop of Aleppo: for the people, the perpetrators of the raids are certainly not "liberators"

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Aleppo (Agenzia Fides) - The air raids against jihadi bases in Syria, carried out by the United States with the support of some Arab countries, do not elicit positive expectations among the population of Aleppo in Syria, afraid "that this type of external involvement could worsen the situation". This was reported to Fides Agency by the Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Boutros Marayati. "People here do not have a clear view of what is going on - says the Archbishop - but certainly do not see the perpetrators of the bombings as 'liberators'. The prevailing sentiment is that the raids will not solve the problems, and may even increase them. The uncertainty that everyone lives every day increases even more. A question fathers and mothers of families ask themselves is whether it is still possible to remain or if the only salvation is to escape".
Meanwhile, the schools in the districts of Aleppo controlled by the government have reopened. The Heads of Churches and Christian communities meet once a month - the next meeting will be on Saturday - to take stock of the situation and find shared ways to alleviate the suffering and the difficulties of the people, "we remain here - repeats Archbishop Marayati - and we try to give support to everyone to make sure that they stay here and do not go away, until it is possible. There is water only for two hours a day, and there is no food. Many go away. But there are also those who returned from Lebanon and from the coastal town of Lattakia, when school started again. Our only task in this situation is to try to bring to life the seeds of hope that bloom in the rubble". (GV) (Agenzia Fides 24/09/2014)


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