Damascus, Archbishop Nassar: Christian Families 'Heroic Amid Endless Suffering

AsiaNews ^ | 12/17/21

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In his Christmas message, the Maronite archbishop recalls 11 years of war, sanctions, misery and migration. The commitment of the people to live "with dignity" despite the many problems, austerity and long isolation. Families "poor and cold" like in the manger of Bethlehem remain "firm in the faith".

Damascus (AsiaNews) - For 11 years Syrian Christians (and others) have been "a heroic family" that has courageously endured "a war, compounded by sanctions, blockades, migration, misery, death and indifference," writes Msgr Samir Nassar, Maronite Archbishop of Damascus, in his Christmas message to the faithful. The entire community is preparing for the festive season despite the many unresolved problems, noted in the document which was also sent to AsiaNews.

Msgr Nassar praises the families who "pursue the effort to live with dignity", despite being more often than not alone "in this struggle against problems and in the face of suffering that seems to have no end". He recalls "the endless exodus of peoples, violence and death" that have characterised Syria's recent history.

The families, he adds, have tried to "adapt" to a life of "austerity" that they did not know before, aggravated by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and have continued to struggle, and to generate, giving birth to new nuclei that are signs of hope. They resemble 'a refugee' in the midst of an 'enormous chaos' of 'lack of electricity, fuel, food, medicine and even work' combined with the 'collapse' of the local economy and currency.

For too long Syrians, especially the civilian population who had no role or interest in the conflict, have had to suffer unjust collective punishment due to international sanctions and the US-imposed Caesar Act, which are the main causes of the crisis, hunger and poverty added to a decade of war. The common.......

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