“Bombs could fall at any moment and anywhere. It’s
like Russian roulette. Victims are chosen at random and with many lives
being claimed every day.” The Maronite archbishop of Damascus, Mgr. Samir Nassar, told Aid to the Church in Need about the dramatic reality of every day life in the Syrian capital, where a seminarist was killed on 26 March.
Every Tuesday, Camil, a 35 year old Maronite seminarist who was about to be ordained a permanent deacon, was in charge of distributing food to the poor. The young man was helping social services who have been “up to their necks with work during this difficult period.”
At 11:30 he was killed by a bomb on his way home. His body was left lying on the street before it was taken to the mortuary to be identified. “To die during Holy Week is a blessing – Mgr. Nassar said – but Camil’s death shows that neither soldiers nor civilians are safe any more.”
The seminarist’s death was a deep blow to the Christian community. “Our neighbourhood, which was once spared the violence, is now being bombed on a daily basis. And the worst is yet to come.”
Participation in religious events depends on the gravity of the conflicts, as numerous Christians continue to leave the country. Two out of the capital’s four Maronite parishes were closed because of a lack of faithful.
“One of these had celebrated more than 30 baptisms in 2011. Last year this number dropped to just three.”
The archbishop does not know the exact number of Christians who have fled abroad, but the number of people who have received communion since the start of the Syrian crisis has dropped by more than 60%.
Pastoral life is plagued by long term uncertainty and the diocese can no longer cater for the needs of the mass of refugees we have welcomed into the country. There is a great deal of poverty.”
The devaluation of the Syrian pound has sky-rocketed. In 2011 one dollar was equivalent to 45 Syrian pounds. Today it is equivalent to 121 Syrian pounds.
“Soldiers and officials are the only ones who still receive a salary and companies offering burial services are the only ones hiring.” Families split up at dawn to queue outside food store, bakeries and petrol stations.
“The Church continues to offer help to those who are suffering, regardless of their religion. Silent and free charity is the only way to build a future for Syria. But given the intensity of the violence, will we find the time to take on this responsibility?”