ALEPPO BISHOPS SAYS SYRIAN CHRISTIANS BETRAYED BY THE WEST
ANSAmed, Italy
Feb 6 2015
Monsignor Marayati laments lack of help, ‘city is dying’
(by Fausto Gasparroni) (ANSAmed) – ROME, FEBRUARY 6 – The Armenian
Catholic bishop of Aleppo told ANSA on Friday that the Christian
community in Syria felt “forgotten, neglected and betrayed by the
West”. Monsignor Boutros Marayati added, in response to a question
about the international community’s reaction to the conflict that has
been ongoing for almost four years, that “no one thinks about us. For
example, you hear about Kobane (also known as Ayn Al-Arab, Ed.), and
Kobane is a small, unimportant town, while Christians – most of whom
live in Aleppo – are forgotten.” “The situation in Aleppo,” he said on
the fringes of a bishops prayer for peace he presided over on Friday
in the Santa Maria in Trastevere church, promoted by the Comunita di
Sant’Egidio, “is tragic. There is a lack of water, electricity, light,
heating, and fuel. The doctors have left and there is no medicine. But
we are living there, surviving. We feel a bit abandoned, forgotten,
by the West and the entire world.” Monsignor Marayati went on to say
that churchgoers “often come and ask us whether they should stay or
go. And you can’t say anything given the tragedy before us, since
there is above all a lack of security.
Rockets and bombs come from the jihadists’ area, and two weeks ago
our cathedral was also hit a rocket that destroyed the cupola and
the entire roof.” “The people are now thinking about leaving,” he said.
“Already two thirds of the Christian population, the Armenians, have
left. Only a small one-third of them have stayed – those that still
believe in peace want to stay. Especially when the appeal to save
Aleppo was launched, or at least to freeze the situation and bring
in a ceasefire, some believed and still do.
They are however becoming more pessimistic, because the situation has
not changed. It has instead become worse.” Marayati underscored that
“there is hope. There have been many appeals, and even the Comunita
di Sant’Egidio made an appeal to save Aleppo. However, nothing has
changed on the ground, in reality. To the contrary: it has become
worse.” “At this point,” he continued, “we only open our churches to
help people. Aid comes and everyone has become poor and in need of
help. Those who used to help the church now need help themselves.
People are fed up. Is there such thing as human dignity? How can you
always line up for a drop of water, to wait for petrol, wait for food.
The wealthy have left and the middle class has become poor.” The
bishop said that, nevertheless, “despite everything, we have opened
the schools and churchgoers come to church. Many of the churches have
been destroyed, but those that are still functioning are filled with
believers praying that this type of evil – as the Gospels say – will
go away simply by praying and fasting. We call for peace through
appeals for prayer and fasting. As one bishop said, ‘these are
things we ask the Lord with tears’. This is what we do now in our
communities.” On the subject of relations with other communities,
including non-Christian ones, the Armenian Catholic bishop stressed
that “what was beautiful about Aleppo was that everything is done in
an ecumenical fashion” he said.
“Either we’re together or we aren’t. And so, everything that is done
is done between the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, and with
moderate Muslims. Everything that happens now – at least as concerns
the part that is still there – is cooperation, a collaboration,
ecumenical and interfaith solidarity.” (ANSAmed).