by Elie Younan

Riad Sargi, a Melkite (Greek Catholic) engineer in Damascus took part in the World Meeting of Families in September. He spoke about Christmas and the Year of mercy in his war-torn country. Reconciliation and mercy are not only words but also an actual “way of life”. He is grateful to the pope for his prayers and closeness to Syria.

Damascus (AsiaNews) – Riad Sargi, a Greek Catholic Melkite, who along with his wife and children took part in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia last September, spoke to AsiaNews about Christmas and the Jubilee of Mercy.

A mechanical engineer employed in the pharmaceutical industry, he oversees imports from Europe. He is also a volunteer with the St Vincent de Paul Society in Damascus. He and his wife, Rouba Farah, who is also working in the medical research sector, have three children: Leila (14) and twins Elias and Michael (5).

Although tragedy has befallen his country (250,000 deaths and 11 million displaced), “we have tried to experience the atmosphere of Christmas and respect its values ​​despite the conflict that goes on unabated around us. We went to church, attended Mass, saw plays, watched young people sing and play hymns, whilst only two kilometres away from our church, war rages on in an area controlled by terrorists."

Like most Syrian Christians, he attended religious services conscious of "the danger of air strikes and shelling”. This is why his “greatest wish for our country, Syria, is a return to peace and reconciliation as well as the start of the process of reconstruction.”

What the Catholic engineer wants the most in this Jubilee of Mercy for a country at war and subject to terror is “to show how Christians live and express love to all people who have an open mind and a loving heart.”

"I am excited by the chance to show the ideal of love that is inherent in Christianity, which has no place for hatred to fuel of war and fighting in our country."

For him, "God is the source of mercy. Our hope is that this is not just a word to talk about in the newspapers or in meetings, but something that can inform a real way of life for those who seek love and mercy."

Good intentions aside, hardships, dangers, and suffering continue in a war fuelled by outside interests and foreign powers, compounded by the ideology of extremist groups and factions that exploit religion for their criminal designs.

As citizens of a “wounded country,” where pain is “growing every day, as seen in the tears of those who suffer,” the people of Syria “need a lot of mercy”. Indeed, "it will not be possible to put an end to the Syrian crisis without mercy, love and reconciliation,” which are "completely lacking in the hearts of those who fight in the name of God, as they see Him and shape Him to their own ends."

"Yet, despite everything, today more than ever it is important to build close relationships with all of the country’s components in order to regain the security that was lost and start reconstruction."

In one last thought for Pope Francis, who has always been close to Syria and its people, and called for a day of prayer and fasting for the country as early as September 2013, Riad noted that the pontiff “has centred his prayers, thoughts and actions on peace in Syria. This is why he requested the presence of a Syrian family at the meeting in Philadelphia to show his love for all Syrian families.”

Therefore, the Jubilee of mercy is a great message of love and reconciliation for what Pope Francis calls his "beloved Syria".

• syria
• family
• christmas
• jubilee
• mercy