Aleppo parish priest: Christmas of hope, amid packed churches and no incidents

by Fr. Bahjat Karakach

The testimony to AsiaNews of Fr. Karakach, who speaks of a ‘very special’ celebration amid ‘reassurances’ from the new authorities and ‘massive security presence’. Compared to the past, there was no sign of celebrations on national TV. In some cities, ‘unpleasant’ episodes such as the burning of a Christmas tree, set up again with the help of Muslims. The Jubilee Year a source of courage.

Aleppo (AsiaNews) - A ‘very peculiar’ Christmas amid ‘reassurances’ from the new authorities that the faithful will be able to ‘continue to practise’ and episodes of sectarian violence in the days leading up to the holiday. Despite fears and uncertainties, Syrian Christians participated in the celebrations, as emerges from the account given to AsiaNews by Fr Bahjat Karakach, parish priest of the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Aleppo. A community that ‘groaned’ in the churches amidst imposing security measures as the country ‘moves towards a real rebirth’, albeit with the fear of ‘intrusions’ by forces ‘that are interested in destabilising Syria’. Nevertheless, he adds, ‘there is no lack of positive signs of curbing these tendencies’.

In less than two weeks, the militias of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, once affiliated with the al-Nusra Front (formerly al-Qaeda), overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who had managed - with the support of Russia and Iran - to remain in power despite 14 years of civil war. They were led by Hts leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who in these days of Christmas celebrations has repeatedly assured tolerance towards all Syrians, including Christians, promising ‘to protect all sacred places to whatever religious community they belong to’. Yesterday, meanwhile, militias launched an operation in the coastal area of Tartous, an Alawite stronghold linked to the former president, where 14 policemen had been killed the day before.

The following is the testimony of the parish priest of Aleppo:

What we have just had was a very special Christmas, as you can well imagine. Between the reassurances of the new authorities that we Christians can continue to practise our customs, and some clearly anti-Christian actions that happened here and there, the news of which spread like wildfire on social networks, we Syrian Christians celebrated the holiday. The picture in Syria remains uneven: here in Aleppo, the only variable was the anticipation of Mass times, so that people could return home not too late, since the night could be increasingly dangerous. Especially when there is no electricity and the streets become empty, sinking into darkness and silence.

During our celebrations, the churches were packed with worshippers, as every year, while a massive presence of security agents and armed men protected our neighbourhoods. This was a good sign of the civil authorities' willingness to watch over security, and thank God no incidents were recorded. The new government confirmed the 25 December national holiday - at least for this year - without stating the reason! On the national TV channels, I saw no sign of festivity, as they used to do.

Returning to the situation on the ground, there were some unpleasant incidents in other cities: in Skelbiye (a town with an Orthodox Christian majority) where a Christmas tree was set up, some young fanatics - of non-Syrian nationality - set fire to the tree. This aroused the ire of the citizens! In Damascus, there was a demonstration by angry Christians who, turning to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, called for his intervention on behalf of the people, not only in reference to what had happened in Skelbiye, but also because of the news coming from Maaloula - the famous village that still speaks Aramaic - where anti-Christian acts and threats of revenge are reported. However, these disturbing actions do not only concern us Christians; in fact, on 25 December, in the coastal city of Tartus, there was an attack against the forces of law and order, in which 14 people lost their lives; while in Homs, a brawl broke out between two groups of demonstrators, the cause of which was allegedly confessional in nature.

Meanwhile, as the country moves towards a real rebirth, there are fears of intrusions by those forces that are interested in destabilising Syria, although so far there is no lack of positive signs of curbing these tendencies. The interim government maintains a strong tolerant discourse towards all Syrians, and promises to protect all sacred places to whatever religious community they belong. Another important step towards peace was the decision of most armed militias to disband and become part of a single army under the leadership of the Ministry of Defence. The Syrians are waiting for the Kurdish militias in the north-east to also come to an agreement with the government in Damascus, and thus reunify the whole territory.

During the homily of the Christmas Eve Mass, I tried to encourage the faithful to have an attitude of hope in this new Jubilee Year and, therefore, to look at and spread the good news, those signs, albeit fragile, of God's grace at work in us: young Muslims helped to repair the damage done to the Christmas tree in Skelbiye and to a church in Hama; others lent us a hand in setting up our nativity scene in Aleppo, and a gentleman, also a Muslim, donated flowers to decorate the altar in these festive days.

Another strong sign will be the mass on 1 January, on World Peace Day, which our bishop Hanna Jallouf will preside at the parish church in Knaye, the village of which he has been parish priest for over 20 years. That village was, along with Yaqubiye, a symbol of the peaceful ‘resistance’ of Christians, who preserved their faith and attachment to their land during the dark years of fierce persecution. Today, this village will be a symbol of a new beginning, in the sign of peace.

So many signs that give us hope and confirm what we have always trusted in, namely the Syrian people, who form a unique fabric of fraternity and peaceful coexistence and their good will to start again towards peace and prosperity. We are called to give voice to these signs of the good that is always present, because this is also the most important capital we have and which will be the foundation of Syria's reconstruction.

Merry Christmas to all and a blessed Year of Hope!

* parish priest of the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Aleppo