“This afternoon, Sunday, December 1, during a bombing on the city of Aleppo, a bomb fell on the Franciscan complex of the Terra Santa College. Thank God, there are no victims or injuries, only the building was damaged.

Our friars and the faithful of the parish are all well. From our Curia we are in constant contact with them. For now they are reporting growing tension and fear among the civilian population of Aleppo for the unpredictable developments of the ongoing conflict.

We invite our friars, the Christians of the Holy Land, and all the churches to join us in prayer for peace in Syria, tormented by long years of war and violence. The word of God of this first Sunday of Advent invites us to keep alive hope for a prospect of peace. We welcome this exhortation, and pray that it will come true for our Syrian brothers”.