Following is the text of the message of Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo on the latest developments in the conflict in Syria dated January  7, 2025:

Dear brothers,

May the Lord grant  you His peace,

I would like to reach out to you with these few lines to inform you of the grave situation that has arisen again in Syria, particularly in the city of Aleppo, and to invite you to intense and persevering prayer for our communities and the affected population.

Yesterday afternoon, the situation in Aleppo deteriorated again. Since then, a full-blown battle has erupted between government forces and the Kurds, with clashes that continued intensely until late into the night. Since dawn this morning, despite moments of apparent calm, mortar fire and gunfire have continued to be heard in various areas of the city.

Many families have had to abandon their homes; some have found temporary refuge at our Terra Santa college. The streets are largely deserted, and there is a profound sense of demoralization and fear among the people. For security reasons, some pastoral activities, such as a meeting with young people, had to be canceled. Eucharistic celebrations, however, were guaranteed yesterday and this morning, with a discreet but faithful presence of Christians, a sign of a faith tested but not broken.

Faced with this latest trial affecting a people already severely scarred by years of war and instability, we feel an even stronger duty of fraternal solidarity and common prayer. I ask you to remember in a special way in your celebrations, in personal and community prayer, our friars, the Christian families, and the entire population of Aleppo and Syria, invoking the gift of peace, protection, and consolation.

United in prayer, we can also get through this difficult night, entrusting everything to the Lord, the Prince of Peace, who never abandons his people.

I thank you for your closeness and I greet you fraternally, assuring you of my remembrance in prayer.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.