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Lebanon
& Syria Focus: All
10 stories and photographs were gathered during a recent trip by John
Dean, UBS Europe-Middle East Program Consultant.
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ALEPPO, Syria — “We have to be a sign of hope. This world is in bad shape, with much violence and tension,” said the Most Rev Antoine Audo, Archbishop of the Chaldean Church in Aleppo. “We must testify to our hope, which comes from God and not from ourselves – this is our vocation.”
Archbishop Audo was speaking of the Christian duty of being a “living Gospel”, making the Bible a way of life in order to demonstrate the biblical message of love and peace. In a country like Syria, where Christians are allowed to openly practise their faith but not evangelise, this principle is particularly significant, and has been taken to heart by the Christian churches.
In Aleppo, this is characterised by a remarkable co-operation between the 13 different denominations that operate there. Church leaders meet each month, and their congregations gather to pray together twice a year. In addition, church members try to visit at least seven other churches during Good Friday services.
“I am happy for the co-operation that exists between the churches here in Aleppo,” said Archbishop Audo. “In spite of our different traditions we are able to say the Lord’s Prayer together.”
Father Jacques Morad of the Syrian Catholic Church is also grateful for this spirit of unity between the churches, and has recently witnessed what can be achieved when churches put aside their differences and come together around God’s Word. Along with a group of young colleagues from his church, he recently started rebuilding an ancient monastery, located in a nominally Christian area. However, he found that the people in the nearby villages had very little knowledge of the Scriptures and the Christian faith.
“We are not so interested in promoting the theology of our particular denomination, but rather in sharing the Word of God,” said Father Jacques. “Because of this, we have been able to work happily together with the Syrian Orthodox priests [in reaching out to people] in this area.”
In their outreach, the two churches have distributed Bible Society New Testaments and are now using Scripture videos to accompany the distribution program.
They have also now pooled resources and are working together on a project to rebuild another monastery – a remarkable development, according to Father Jacques. “In the 1960s and 1970s, the Syrian Orthodox and Syrian Catholic churches were actually fighting over this monastery,” he said. “Now we are rebuilding it together.” (WR 358/17 - 03.01)