(ANS - Kafroun) - "This year, as usual, I decided to visit Kafroun, Aleppo and Damascus, the three Salesian Houses in my homeland, Syria. The country is increasingly exhausted and impoverished by the war, which has now lasted four years. The consequences on the living conditions of the population have assumed devastating proportions." So says Fr Munir El Rai, Provincial of the Salesians in the Middle East, at the beginning of his report on the visit he carried out between 29 June and 6 August last. Today we publish the first part of that report.

Salesians in Kafroun

(...) During the summer, the community and the work of Kafroun were guided by Fr Luciano Buratti, an Italian missionary, and an Egyptian cleric called Gobràn, along with the Salesian Cooperator Johnny Ghazi and his family who carry out the entire management of the work and activities for the rest of the year. The area of Kafroun was until now one of the quietest in Syria. That is why our work is attended by young people from the area and by many displaced young people who are forced to leave their homes because of the danger and destruction raging across the country.

(...) I felt great joy, admiration and emotion at seeing hundreds of very young boys and girls participating in the summer activities which were well organized and carried out this year not only by the Salesians, but also by many lay leaders and collaborators. To enable the largest possible number of boys and girls to take part, a shuttle service was provided from various villages in the valley to our work.

(...) In spite of so much suffering, destruction and death, I could see that the love of life, of joy and of hope is stronger than ever, and it filled me with joy. People feel the need to play, dance, sing and pray, despite the dramatic circumstances that lead them to ask: "Where is God? Why does God allow this? Have we not had enough blood and destruction? How much more? We’ve had enough! We cannot take anymore." These are questions that I have tried to face with the people, speaking about forgiveness, faith and hope, but it is not easy.

People are getting ever more tired and exhausted, at the moral, spiritual and material level. As well as the tragedy of death and destruction, every family is now faced with the drama of emigration, with people fleeing the country in search of a better life outside Syria. (...) I have seen the suffering of the people who remain, and the loneliness they feel for those who are gone. (...) This drama is changing the social face of the country in general, but the church is also greatly affected. The Christian presence, which was so strong in the past, is weakening and disintegrating dramatically, both in quality and in quality.

Sunday Mass was a beautiful moment of meditation and communion. About 700 people attended, including Christians of different rites. It was beautiful to welcome all these people, so touched by the war. It has brought them to regard doubt and uncertainty as part of their journey of faith, and it brings them back to prayer.

Published 07/09/2015