(ANS - Aleppo) – There were new attacks and new massacres all over Syria on Sunday, February 21: four explosions in Damascus, two attacks in Homs; Aleppo is again disputed land between the army and various rebel factions. In this nightmare scenario, the Salesians remain alongside the young people.

“As Salesians we’re here doing with young people what Don Bosco wants us to do with all young people. We try to do the normal things, in times that are not normal,” says Fr. Pier Jabloyan from the Salesian work in Aleppo.

In a short video posted on Facebook, Fr. Jabloyan thanked all at the Salesian youth center at Schio (Vicenza), Italy, who have shown solidarity with his city of Aleppo and explained the realities of life there: “Here we are living in the middle of war.”

In such a situation the young have even more need of socialization, entertainment, and fraternity. “Here young people are looking for a quiet place, a place where they can play and where they can talk,” says Fr. Jabloyan, while in the background you can see dozens of boys and girls who are having fun, in what may seem like a youth center in any city in the world.

“Thank you for everything you are doing for us; and at the same time we Salesians are asking for one thing: to pray for us, because in these tough times, we are staying here,” Fr. Jabloyan concluded.

In March it will be five years since the outbreak of war in Syria, a war that has so far claimed more than 260,000 deaths, displaced internally more than 7.5 million people, and caused another 4 million to flee abroad.

Meanwhile, the countries that are directly or indirectly involved continue to negotiate for an agreed solution.