Lent, Msgr Nassar: Prayers for a peaceful future in Syria (and Ukraine)
The Maronite archbishop of Damascus assures prayers for an end to the attacks on Kiev. The Syrians, he underlines, "support Russia in words, but in their hearts they are close to the Ukrainian people". The value of sharing and helping poor families. In Iraq, fasting and prayer for those suffering from "conflicts and pandemics". In Jerusalem a Mass for reconciliation.
Damascus (AsiaNews) - The consequences of going through an unending conflict lasting over 11 years already ..have left the whole population in desperate poverty and misery" and "broken up under the strain of a continuous exodus, the forced dispersal of peoples and successive hardships," writes Maronite Archbishop of Damascus, Msgr. Samir Nassar, in his Lenten message sent to AsiaNews, whose title is already emblematic of the situation in Syria and the region today: "The joy of being poor".
The prelate, who is well acquainted with the drama of the war because he has experienced it first hand in recent years, does not hide his fears about the attack launched by Moscow on Kiev and the risks of escalation already expressed by Christian leaders in the region, stating "In these days of the beginning of Lent we will pray strongly for peace". The Maronite archbishop of Damascus continues that the Syrian people "support Russia in words [its entry alongside the Syrian army has proved fundamental to the fate of President Assad], but in their hearts they are close [to the suffering] of the Ukrainian people".
In his message, Msgr Nassar recalls the events linked to the synodal path and the meeting scheduled for mid-month, a fundamental appointment to "heal the bloody wounds" of the Syrian Church, which "have helped us recover our identity". And the mission "of listening, love, forgiveness and unity" for a "small flock" that relies on "Marian devotion and the Eucharist" to break down barriers and support renewal. "Poor families," the prelate continues, "share what they have with even poorer families: bread, medicine, shelter, what they need for school, winter clothes. This testimony, he concludes, represents "a beautiful example of solidarity and sharing" because "the joys of one become the joys of all" through "a look, a gesture, a tear, a prayer".
The Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, Card. Louis Raphael Sako, urges people to offer fasting and Lenten prayer to those who suffer from "conflict, corruption, the Covid-19 pandemic", inviting them to take care of those who are displaced, poor, sick and those who have no work. "I invite you," he writes, "to look at these brothers and think about how to help them in order to alleviate their suffering". Finally, the cardinal recalls the divisions in Iraqi society and among Christians, exhorting them as Christ and Pope Francis ask them to "walk together (synodality)" because this is what flows "from our faith, unity in diversity" and belonging "to a common destiny".
For the beginning of Lent and to coincide with the day of prayer and fasting on 2 March for peace in Ukraine, the Latin Primate of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa celebrates the Mass of the Ashes in the co-cathedral of the patriarchate. And throughout Lent on Saturday afternoons [with the exception of 26 March and 2 April] there will be a solemn entrance to the Holy Sepulchre at the end of a procession that starts from the patriarchal see. These are intense days of events and celebrations full of special intentions "for reconciliation between the Churches" and for "an end to conflicts" starting with that in Ukraine.
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13/02/2021 08:00
