A delegation of friars from the Custody of the Holy Land, from some convents in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jordan and Lebanon, visited their confreres in Syria from 29 December to 3 January. Thirty-five of the friars out of some 300 at the service of the Holy Land, are of Syrian origin and are at the service of the Catholic faithful and the Holy Places in Syria. 

 

The account of the visit for the website of the Custody is by Fra Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody, who led the small delegation.

 

Pilgrims of hope

“The Jubilee of Hope started on Sunday, 29 December, in all the dioceses of the world and on that day, as ‘pilgrims of hope’, we set off to reach our confreres who have lived through the drama of the war in Syria.”

 

On 30 December, the group reached Syria. “Our journey,” says Fra Ibrahim, “took place in the spirit of the Franciscan charism;  we walked through destroyed towns and villages, surrounded by nature offended by the violence of war. Like brothers on a path, we were able to bring support and charity to our confreres and the suffering Syrians after 14 years of was, death, division and devastation.”

 

Across the border

The meeting with the confreres of the Syrian convents was “very moving. We thanked God for having been able to embrace once again and share a new episode in the Franciscan presence in Syria.”

 

There were no roadblocks or checkpoints on the  journey to Damascus, “a first sign of hope: the rebirth of the Syrian people starts again with the possibility of an encounter between the children of the same earth, to break down the barriers and the conflicts which had divided them.

 

The friars celebrated Mass at the altar of the Holy Martyrs of Damascus, canonized on 20 October 2024. “Thanks to the intercession of these new Franciscan saints, the Syrian people are trying to live in peace once again.” 

 

The meeting with Al-Jolani

On 31 December, the delegation of the Custody took part in the meeting of the representatives of the Christian Churches with Ahmed Al-Jolani and the new leaders of the country, who contributed to ensuring attention to the essential rights of the Syrian people.

 

The Vicar of the Custody and the two Discretes of the Custody present - Fra Rashid Mistrih and Fra Sandro Tomašević had “a private conversation with the new leader.”

 

“He had words of admiration, esteem and  respect, first of all for the Pope and his commitment to peace. He told us that he considered Syrian Christians not as a minority but as an integral and important part of the history of the Syrian people.” In the Governorate of  Idlib, Al-Jolani learned about the work of the friars and expressed esteem and respect for them. “He expressed his commitment  that all those who have left Syria, including many Christians, can return.”

 

Fra Ibrahim emphasized the “need to soon reach peace proposals in Syria,” and guaranteed “our full willingness to collaborate on initiatives of reconciliation in favour of the Syrian population, protecting the rights of all religious minorities.”

 

In support of this wish, Fra Ibrahim gave Al-Jolani “a document in which the Custody guarantees its closeness and support for the peace process by the sons of St Francis and ensures the commitment to peace by Syrian Christians.” The friars gave Al-Jolani the medal of the canonization of the Martyrs of Damascus, “convinced that their intercession contributed to opening up the road to peace in Syria.” 

 

Return to Knaye

On 1 January, the Solemnity of the Mother of God and the World Day of peace, the friars celebrated Mass in Knaye, a Christian village in the governorate of Idlib, a stronghold of the HTS militia guided by the current leader of the government of transition. The celebration was presided over by Mons. Hanna Jallouf, today Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo  of the Latins, but for more than 20 years and throughout the war he was the parish priest in Knaye.

 

On his arrival, Fra Hanna and the friars were welcomed by songs of joy and the affection of the parishioners and the  bells rang i8n celebration for the Mass. “The friars carried out their ministry faithfully in complex years and always sought the path of peaceful coexistence through kindness and dialogue.” Fra Luai and Fra Khokaz continue their mission in this very poor area, in particular in the Christian villages of Knaye, Yacoubieh and Gidaideh.

 

The last stopping place was Aleppo, where the friars also visited the Terra Santa College, hit by a missile on 1 December. “In church we prayed to Child Jesus in front of the Nativity scene set up by the children of the parish and other Christian confessions.” This is also a sign of hope: “there is no reference to war, in the background St Peter's Basilica was reproduced to invite everyone, in this year of the Jubilee, to set out on a path of faith and hope.”

 

“At the start of the Jubilee, we were also ‘pilgrims of hope on our visit to the Syrian communities’. A new course of Syrian history has begun, we entrust it to the Prince of Peace, we follow him with our hearts open to Hope.”