Christmas in Syria: Christians and Muslims defy war by providing hot meals to poor
Damascus
(AsiaNews) - "Over 6,500 hot meals distributed to the poor in a help
center in Damascus.
Scarcity
of food is not stopping the parishes and religious institutes that are churning
out fresh bread every day for thousands of displaced people fleeing the bombs."
This is what Msgr. Mario
Zenari, Catholic Nuncio in Damascus
tells AsiaNews as he describes the miracle of the birth of Jesus among the
Syrian people battered by 20 months of civil war.
"The
joy of Christmas - says the prelate - is also celebrated in this climate of
conflict and fear, and it is a challenge to the suffering and hatred now
rampant in the hearts of the people." The
nuncio emphasizes that several parishes in Damascus have not given up celebrating the
most important day for Christians: "On 16 December, I visited a small
parish on the outskirts of the capital, for months under the explosions of
mortars and heavy artillery gunfire. In the living room there were dozens of
children intent on cutting out the cardboard figures for the nativity scene. The
children help us adults to experience the joy of Christmas through these simple
gestures. Their joy is the first fruit of Christmas in this corner
of the world torn by sorrow, where Christian families live every day with deep
faith, going to the root meaning of this mystery: the solidarity of God and of
Jesus with us. He himself has experienced the drama of the flight into Egypt to escape
the Massacre
of the Innocents. This episode is no different from what they are experiencing,
the more than 500 thousand refugees who in recent months have crossed the
border leaving everything they had. "
For Msgr. Zenari,
the spirit of Christmas, does not stop at parishes, but spreads among the
Muslims through Christian organizations that distribution of food and essential
supplies to the displaced. "Even
in Damascus -
he explains - as in the rest of the country, bread is now a rarity, a luxury
item, and is for many the only daily meal. Nevertheless, I visited
dozens of religious institutions who work every day to give the population
fresh bread or a more substantial meal if there are stocks. " The
prelate indicates in particular the activities of a service center for the
capital's poor, anonymous for security reasons, where 6,500 hot meals are
served each day. "
Young Christians and Muslims work for free. Food is distributed to anyone who
requests it, regardless of religion, race or faction."
In
this climate of war, the nuncio notes that charity and sharing impose
themselves over a powerful hatred and resentment that are unfortunately the
real weapons this conflict. "The
Spirit of Christmas - he says - is alive in these small gestures."
According
to a report released today by the UN, conflict between the Free Syrian Army and
the regime of Bashar al-Assad has turned into an interfaith struggle between
Sunnis and Alawites which has now severed all links with politics, and is
likely to involve Christian and Armenian minorities. The
fear of mass murders in the coming months is provoking an exodus with entire
communities and ethnic minorities fleeing across the border. In
the report, there is also a new estimate of the aid necessary for more than one
million refugees, which has reached a
record 1.5 billion dollars.
Inviting
all Catholics to pray for Syria, the prelate states that "once the war is
over the leaders of all faiths will have the daunting task of defusing these
'bombs of resentment and revenge' nested in people's hearts , to witness
to love and reconciliation. " (S.C.)
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