Nuns return to Damascus

A friend of the Parish, currently located in Syria, has asked us to give thanks for the safe return of a group of Greek Orthodox nuns, who have been freed after being kidnapped by rebels.

The sisters were held for three months after being taken from their convent in Maaloula last December, and were freed as part of a prisoner exchange involving some 150 women and children held by the Syrian government.

Mother Pelagia Sayyaf, head of the Mar Takla monastery in Maaloula, said the nuns had been treated well.

The nuns' plight highlighted the delicate position of Syria's Christians.When the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011, many Christians were cautious and tried to avoid taking sides. However, as the crackdown by security forces intensified and opposition supporters took up arms, they were gradually drawn into the conflict.



(c) Monkwearmouth Parish 2014

Many fear that if the secular government is overthrown, they will be targeted by jihadist rebels calling for an Islamic state and that Christian communities will be destroyed, as they have been in Iraq since 2003.

For example, recent news reports have indicated an ultimatum, allegedly from a jihadist group, has demanded that Syrian Christians live as “dhimmis,” low-status subjects who must pay protection money and obey strict restrictions on their religious practice.



The statement, which has been condemened by many Syrians and Islamic scholars, particularly concerns Christians in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the first provincial capital to come under complete rebel control after the Syrian conflict began in March 2011.



(c) Monkwearmouth Parish

Christians who reject conversion to Islam or the restrictive conditions “are subject to being legitimate targets, and nothing will remain between them and ISIS other than the sword,” said the online statement reputedly from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the BBC reports.

The statement orders Christians to pay about half an ounce of pure gold in exchange for their safety, the BBC says. Christians are barred from renovating churches and displaying crosses or other religious symbols outside churches. They may not ring church bells or pray in public.

We have been urged to pray for "Damascus and Syria and all Christians and the people of Syria of all faiths." 

The Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, who led the House of Lords in a debate in November 2013 on the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in Syria, recently issued the following statement:

"The scenes of destruction and suffering from Syria point to an apocalyptic disaster and yet the massacre in Syria continues unchecked. How many more harrowing scenes of exhausted families crossing the borders from Syria must we bear witness to before world leaders take the necessary steps to resolve this conflict?

For how long must we hear the heartbreaking stories of hungry crying children from besieged cities in Syria before we secure unfettered humanitarian access to those most in need?

We can remain silent no more. The world can ill-afford another anniversary for Syria marked by bloodshed. This week the Church stands with others in shining a light in solidarity with the people of Syria and as a demonstration to our own government, and others, that they must intensify their efforts to end the bloodshed and to get aid to all those in need."

Latest UN Statistics highlight that three years of crisis in Syria has resulted in over 2.5 million refugees, 9.3 million people in need of Humanitarian Assistance in Syria and over 6.5 million Internally Displaced Persons. There are over twice as many Syrian refugees than there were Rwandan refugees during the 1994 genocide. The number of Syrian refugees also exceeds the number of refugees during all the Yugoslav wars between 1991 and 1997.

A Prayer for the Victims of the Syrian conflict

We pray for those damaged by the fighting in Syria.

To the wounded and injured:

Come Lord Jesus.

To the terrified who are living in shock:

Come Lord Jesus

To the hungry and homeless, refugee and exile:

Come Lord Jesus

To those bringing humanitarian aid:

Give protection Lord Jesus

To those administering medical assistance:

Give protection Lord Jesus.

To those offering counsel and care:

Give protection Lord Jesus.

For all making the sacrifice of love:

Give the strength of your Spirit

and the joy of your comfort.

In the hope of Christ we pray. Amen.

For more information on a global vigil for Syria, visit http://www.with-syria.org/en

Additional reporting from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26510202), 

the Catholic News Agency (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/report-syrian-rebel-group-makes-christians-low-status-subjects/)

and Al-Shorfa (http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2014/03/04/feature-01)