(ANS – Aleppo) – We publish the second part of the report on the situation in Syria, given by Fr Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Middle East Province. Today he speaks about  Aleppo, basing his report on information received from the Salesian community in that city, because the war situation makes it too dangerous to go there. Sadly, to confirm this, just yesterday news came of the kidnapping of two Bishops, the Syrian Orthodox Bishop and the Greek Orthodox Bishop of the city.

Aleppo is the most industrialized city in Syria. The situation there is really disastrous. Traffic is paralyzed to a large extent, and the impression is of a dead city. Some areas are like a ghost town. The centre of the city is dead. Many of the state schools have become refuges for people evacuated from their homes. The private schools are poorly attended and the more modern ones, in the suburbs, are often abandoned.

The hospitals run by the Sisters are still open but only a few doctors remain to render medical assistance. More than a thousand factories have been destroyed. Provisions, medicines and food are becoming scarcer every day. Often there is no electricity or water, and no communications.

Some of the Churches in Aleppo have been damaged.  Day and night , the people are frightened by the sounds of war. When the raids began in the area close to our house, some projectiles even reached our playground but fortunately there were no victims. There is also the fear of kidnapping of better-off people. This distressing situation makes movement in or out of the city very dangerous. After dark, no living person can be found in the streets.

The Salesians came to Aleppo in 1948 and opened a Technical School. When the schools were nationalized in 1967, our work for young people was limited to a youth centre and oratory. In the early stages of this war, the activities carried on as normal, but from July 2012 Aleppo has become the target of severe attacks and we have been forced to cut back on our activities.

At present the Salesian community consists of four confreres who remain in solidarity with the people. They are particularly close to the families of the young people who come to our youth centre and oratory. They visit in person the worst hit families and maintain contact through the means of communication. They have noticed that very often all that is needed is a simple visit or a smile, the assurance of our complete availability or a welcome in case of emergency.

Alongside this very necessary sign of closeness, there is often need of material help – provisions, medicine, money to cover necessary expenses … The door of the Salesian Community at Aleppo is open to anyone in need, because Christ’s love knows no bounds.

Many families come to our house every day simply because there is nowhere else they can go to spend part of the day together. Several youth groups meet in our house for their normal activities.  Those who are still there in the evening gather at the grotto of Our Lady to pray, to sing a hymn to Mary, and to hear the traditional Salesian goodnight.

We consider it important to continue to invite young people to these meetings which are planned  to suit different age groups. For the Year of Faith, the diocese and religious together organized a meeting on the theme “With You I have no fear”. This was held in our Salesian Youth centre. About 1,200 young people took part. There was no room left in the Church or in the playground. The meeting commenced with the Our Father and a prayer to Don Bosco, and included music, song and dance, as well as sketches written by the Salesian animators. There was time for reflection on the theme of the meeting, beginning with the gospel passage of the calming of the storm (Mk 4,35-41). Questionnaires were distributed and filled in, and the meeting ended with Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions. To be able to hold a meeting like this in a war situation, and to have so many young participants, was nothing short of a miracle! We are planning other similar meetings and hope to be able to hold them as soon as possible.

Published 23/04/2013