In Syria, hopes that 'ceasefire will be the beginning of the end of the war'
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
"Fear is being challenged by hope that the conflict will end soon."
By Oliver
Maksan
NEW YORK—A leader of the Syriac
Orthodox Church in Syria has expressed his hopes that the current efforts at
bringing about a permanent ceasefire will be the beginning of the end of the
war in Syria.
When asked about the temporary end of hostilities that took
effect Feb. 27, 2016, Archbishop Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh of Homs and Hama said:
“We pray to the Lord God to put his hand to every good work, and the ceasefire
process is good work, especially after such a long period of war. And ask the
Lord to bless this step, and that it will be the beginning of the end of the
war in our beloved Syria.”
In an interview with international Catholic charity
Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Selwanos expressed his joy over the
recent release of Christian hostages from captivity by ISIS. On Feb. 22, 2016,
the last 43 hostages from an initial group of 253 captured Christians were released,
reportedly after the paying of ransom. The hostages were captured one year ago
when ISIS advanced through the Khabur region of north-eastern Syria. At the
time, around 3,000 Christians were forced to flee their village.
“There is no doubt,” Archbishop Selwanos said, “that
the thing that happened with the hostages may enter the joy of all Christians,
and has increased the belief that God still works miracles in difficult times,
and that the Lord responds to the prayers of good people.”
Meanwhile, ISIS is still holding more than 170
Christian captives from the Syrian town of Al-Qaryatayn, which was conquered by
the terror militia in August of 2015. The jihadists followed this with the
destruction of Mar Elian, a 1,500-year-old monastery.
Archbishop Selwanos said that Syria’s Christians
continue to live in fear of ISIS and other jihadist groups even after the
release of the hostages from the Khabur region. “Christians have lived in fear
of Daesh (Arabic term for ISIS) and jihadist, and are still afraid. But this
fear is being challenged by hope that the conflict will end soon, especially as Christians
love peace and seek peace by all means.”
Aid
to the Church in Need supports the humanitarian work of
Archbishop Selwanos. Since the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011, the aid
organization has donated a total of more than $12M to for both pastoral and
humanitarian aid administered by the local Churches. The aid work is primarily
focused on supporting the many internally displaced persons.
Archbishop Selwanos at Mass; ACN photo
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