Last week the Community of Sant’Egidio organized an important conference in Bari with the participation of very authoritative members of the Christian Churches of the Near East and
the attendance of political leaders and diplomats. This was one way to put back at the center of the attention of the world the tragic situation afflicting Syria which has been ravaged for four years by a civil war that has caused tens of thousands of victims and hundreds of thousands of refugees. It was also the occasion to advocate the creation of safe havens, secure areas for Christian and other minorities who live in that region. The point is to stop the exodus by “ensuring safe conditions for the Christians who decide to stay and thus must be protected”, but also by helping countries with Muslim majorities to address and resolve the problem of extremism because everyone benefits from pluralism and tolerance.
This week Sant’Egidio issues again and with even greater strength the appeal “Save Aleppo”, which its founder, Andrea Riccardi, has been promoting for several weeks now. Aleppo and the surrounding area could be one of these safe havens, not a ghetto, but a place of refuge and protection, a prophetic sign of the coexistence that was, and can be once more, the modus vivendi in an area that plays such a significant role for the stability of the world.
We hope that such insistence may elicit a favorable response and be welcome among many political decision-makers and many international organizations. Italian and international
media has been reporting with increasing frequency that the conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate, reaching levels of extreme tragedy. The Italian newspaper “Avvenire” has recently published an editorial titled “The Catacombs of Aleppo”, dedicated to the situation in that very ancient Syrian city, whose inhabitants are forced to live underground because of the bombings that are completing its destruction. The new report by Amnesty International also insists on the unbearable suffering being inflicted upon the population of Aleppo. “I have seen headless children and body parts everywhere. It was exactly how I had imagined hell would be” recounted a witness who lives in the al-Fardus neighborhood. Another one spoke of “horror in its purest state”. Today more than ever it is time to say #savealeppo ….
this initiative of the Community of Saint Egidio is very important to stop the war in Syria and to support the victims of the war. we should think ways of continuation. Cardinal Sandri at this conference pointed out that the resolution for the State of the Palestinians is an important step to stop the war in Middle East and to protect human rights and of course the future of the Christians. Some days later the Holy Father His Holiness Pope Francis came out with a strong statement recognizing the State of the Palestinians like the one of Israel.
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