For Syrian faithful, a homecoming never to be forgotten

CHRISTIAN FAMILIES in Syria forced from their town by extremists celebrated their return Feb. 14, 2019 with a ceremony marking the reconstruction of their homes in western Syria.

Parishioners packed into St Mary’s Church, in Krak des Chevaliers (Al Husn) village, which is named after a famous local landmark, a Crusader castle; as part of the ceremony, the faithful were given ‘Jesus is my Rock’ stone tablets and bottles of holy water to signify the completion of repairs to houses that had been devastated during a two-year campaign of violence at the height of Syrian civil war.

Presiding at the ceremony, Melkite Archbishop Nicolas Sawaf of Lattakia, thanked Aid to the Church in Need, which funded the program to repair 55 houses. He said: “Given everything that the people have suffered, the violence and the hatred, who would have thought these houses would be reconstructed?

“For me it is a dream and my sincere thanks to Aid to the Church in Need.”

Reflecting on how neighbors were implicated in the attacks on the Christian homes, he added: “We must remember that we, as Christian citizens of Syria, have a special mission of love, compassion and reconciliation. We should not hate our enemies, we should forgive them.”

Presenting the ‘Jesus of my Rock’ tablets to representatives of each family, Father Andrzej Halemba, ACN’s Middle East projects coordinator, said: “These tablets will remind you that you are not alone, that God is always with you and that the friends and benefactors of ACN are always praying for you and supporting you.”

Among those who received a tablet was Hasan Marmari, 60, who returned to his home a few weeks ago after ACN completed repairing it. Mr. Marmari, who described how his son, George, went missing five years ago during military service, said: “Of course there is still so much pain and suffering for so many of us but to be finally back home and able to re-start our lives is a huge step forward and an important sign of hope.”

The Christian area of Krak des Chevaliers village came under attack in 2012 when extremists, including Muslims in the district, turned on them as part of the rebels’ campaign to take the nearby medieval Crusader castle, which was of crucial strategic significance as the rebels sought to gain a stranglehold on the region.

As well as repairing the houses, ACN restored St Mary’s Church, which is 900 years-old and which was badly attacked and desecrated during the violence. Since the conflict began in 2011, ACN has completed nearly 750 projects in Syria, such as emergency help for displaced Christian families in the Valley of the Christians, which includes Krak des Chevaliers village.

—John Pontifex