ALEPPO, January 10, 2013 thanks to Zenit.org – Close to 1,000 Christians, both
Orthodox and Catholic, are trapped in the small village of
Yaakoubieh, located in the north of Aleppo. In a report by Fides News Agency,
refugees are completely worn out and lack basic necessities, such as food and
electricity while dealing with heavy fighting between loyalist forces and
opposition groups.
They are unable to leave the village and “are in terrible
condition, where they risk extinction,” said Fr. François Kouseiffi OFM, a
Franciscan friar and pastor of the church of San Francesco in Hamra (Beirut) to
Fides. Fr. Kouseiffi deals with the care and assistance of about 500 Syrian
refugees.
The refugees have reported to Fr. Kouseiffi the plight of the
village of Yaakoubieh, and where many of their relatives are. Before the war
there were about 3,000 Christians in the village between Armenians, Orthodox
and Catholics, and now almost all have fled. In the village there are
Franciscan nuns who, says the friar, share the fate of civilians.
“The situation is very serious. The faithful are trapped. We
are trying in every way to help them to come to Lebanon. In past days, some of
our emissaries left to go there, but the journey is dangerous and, after more
than a day’s journey by land, they reached Aleppo. The contacts with the
remaining Christians are sporadic. They launched the alarm for their survival.
They risk of dying in the general silence,” Fr. Kouseiffi said.
The Syrian Christians are paying the price of the destabilization
of the country and suffer like other Syrian citizens but, like other
minorities, they are the most vulnerable groups. Out of the approximately four
million Syrian refugees, the Syrian Christians are about 500 thousand, 25
thousand of which are in Lebanon. In past days, recalls Fr. Kouseiffi,
“the wave of frost has made their condition even more difficult: we are in
the middle of a humanitarian emergency. They talk about their drama, their
hopes, and dreams of a better future for their country.”