December 18, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
the Lord give you peace!
As we approach the Solemnity of Christmas, together with the Prophet we hear in these days of Advent and how the readings of the Sunday “Gaudete” reaffirm today, I would come to you with joyful news.
Unfortunately and once again I have to bring to your attention the increasingly difficult situation of our last two Christian villages in the Orontes of Syria, of our parishioners and of our brethren who assist them.
The northern Syria is now more and more firmly in the hands of extremist rebels, while the so-called “moderate” forces are losing strength. The rebels who controlled “our” area, which until now were considered tolerant, have been replaced by extremist groups who do not like the presence of non-Muslims in their “emirate”.
The last orders received from our brothers, Father Hanna and Father Dhiya, are as follows:
- All the crosses must disappear.
- Is forbidden to ring the Church bells.
- Women should not get out of the house without covering their face and the hair...
- All the statues must disappear ...
In case of refusing to abide to these orders, they will apply the Islamic law. In short: who does not accept or goes away or will be executed. These orders apply to Knaye, Yacoubieh and Jdeideh, which is currently served by our brethren. For those who may not know the area, those villages are exclusively Christian. This is exactly what happened in Ghassanie last June.
I invite everyone to pray for all the communities of Syria, especially for those who live under the control of these extremists.
I ask all of our fraternity, each in the manner they consider appropriate to insert in the Christmas novena, which begins tomorrow, December 16, a special time of prayer for our brothers and for the communities entrusted to their care.
The word that we hear these days sounds particularly provocative: “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them” (Mt 11: 5). We pray that the hears of these people will be open to listening and especially that our small flock of Syria continue to put their trust in the Lord, without fear.
Fraternally,
Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M.
Custos of the Holy Land
