Parish priest of Aleppo: young Christians are the mission for a new Syria

Fr Karakach tells AsiaNews that despite the difficulties, there are also signs of hope. The Church promotes discussions on ‘justice, solidarity and peace’. The authorities announce the formation of a new government on 1 March. The priorities are to revive the economy and obtain the cancellation of Western sanctions.

Aleppo (AsiaNews) - In spite of the ‘difficulties’, there are also signs of ‘hope’ that are emerging ‘from the heart of our society’, starting with ‘young Christians’ who are taking an ‘active interest in politics’, driven by the desire to contribute ‘to the rebirth of the country’. This is what Fr Bahjat Karakach, parish priest of the church of St Francis of Assisi in Aleppo, writes in a testimony sent to AsiaNews, announcing an ‘important initiative: weekly public evenings - explains the priest - dedicated to education on the social doctrine of the Church and to dialogue on burning issues’. Moments of discussion and in-depth analysis, he explains, ‘on the values of justice, solidarity and peace, fundamental for building a better future’.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister of the provisional cabinet, Asaad al-Shaibani, yesterday announced the formation of the new government, which will take office on 1st March and will be the preparatory body (two of the seven members are women) for a national dialogue conference. The executive and the conference intend to be as ‘representative’ as possible of the Syrian people, taking into account ‘diversity’, added the senior official on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Last month Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) and protagonist of the revolt that ended with the deposition of Bashar al-Assad in exile in Moscow, was appointed interim president and the new authorities are now ready to form a transitional legislature. Among the objectives of the new Islamist leadership - who claim to have abandoned their jihadist origins - are the relaunch of the economy and the cancellation of Western sanctions.

Below is the testimony of the parish priest of Aleppo:

I'm writing to give an update on the current situation in Syria, a nation that continues to experience moments of great instability, in which geopolitical tensions risk further compromising the future of our land. In fact, the country is still divided: the north-eastern region is still under the control of Kurdish militias, supported by the United States; in the south we are witnessing the expansion of the Israeli military presence, near the Golan Heights, a move that continues to raise new concerns about a possible increase in tensions in the region.

Within our territories controlled by the new authorities, under the leadership of the now President of the Republic Ahmed Al-Sharaa, we live with great insecurity: a strong instability of the Syrian lira makes economic operations almost impossible; all activities are almost at a standstill and the unemployment rate continues to grow. Security also continues to be a real concern: theft, murder, revenge, kidnapping, etc. are the order of the day.

Despite these difficulties, there is a sign of hope that is emerging from the heart of our society. More and more Syrians, including our young Christians, are beginning to take an active interest in politics, driven by the desire to contribute to the rebirth of their country. In Aleppo, as evidence of this renewed civic commitment, the Catholic Church has launched an important initiative: weekly public evenings dedicated to education on the social doctrine of the Church and dialogue on burning issues. These opportunities for discussion and in-depth analysis offer participants the chance to reflect on the values of justice, solidarity and peace, which are fundamental for building a better future.

For my part, I am trying to spread the social doctrine through the social channels that I started some time ago: Add Alsama (https://www.youtube.com/@addalsama), created by me three years ago with a Christian journalist, aims to be the voice of Christians in Syria. After the fall of the regime [of Bashar al-Assad] and the inclusion of material on social doctrine, we saw an exponential increase in our followers. All this is a sign of the interest that Syrians have in these issues and their thirst for a doctrine that will help them to be an active part in the political process that is taking place.

In this context, we cannot fail to mention the recent visit to Aleppo of Pope Francis' envoy, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, who emphasised the crucial role that Christians can and must play in the reconstruction of Syria. The cardinal also urged everyone to work together for a future of reconciliation and hope. His words have instilled new confidence in a community that, despite the challenges, continues to dream of a future of peace and unity.

We are confident that dialogue, the commitment of our young people and the sharing of Christian values can contribute to a lasting rebirth for our beloved land. Thanks to your constant support, together we can nourish this light of hope that illuminates the path towards a better future.

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