In Syria, French deputies went to meet Christians
Publication Date: 23/10/2021
Source: Archyde
Several French deputies, members of the study group on the Christians of the East, visited at the end of September and the beginning of October in Syria, in the capital, Damascus, as well as in Homs and Palmyra. A trip that aimed to take stock of the living conditions of Christians and other minorities after the ten years of war which ravaged the country and severely affected the Syrian people.
During their stay, the parliamentarians notably met the apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Mario Zenari, the bishops and sisters of Damascus as well as priests. “We saw the Christian people but not only, we also exchanged with Muslims and other minorities”, specifies Aurélie Pirillo, LR advisor from Paris and collaborator of the group, which organized this trip.
A first observation was obvious to the deputies: the feeling of abandonment of their interlocutors. “They have complained that they are now kept apart, they feel forgotten, abandoned, reportthe chosen oneLR from Paris, Sandra Boëlle. The apostolic nuncio used the expression of“bomb of silence” to explain this. “
“The impression was unanimous on the side of the people we met, they all told us that the situation was worse now than during the war.,insistsLR de la Charente-Maritime MP Didier Quentin, Member of the Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee.Most want to leave the country so that their children have a future. “” I was also surprised, continues the deputy LR of Haut-Rhin, Raphaël Schellenberger, by the erasure of hope and the loss of faith among our interlocutors. “
According to figures from the Hungarian Embassy to the Holy See, the Christian presence in Syria fell from 6% before the war to 2% today. “But the Christians there refuse the term persecution, which surprised us”, recognizes Sandra Boëlle.
During its visit to Damascus, the delegation notably visited Saint-Louis hospital. “The establishment only operates with 25% of its staff and lacks funds. A nurse who, some time ago, was earning € 300 per month, now only earns the equivalent of € 25 because of the fall of the Syrian pound, ExplainRaphaël Schellenberger. Not to mention the power cuts, which mean that there are only two hours of electricity per day. “
“But we have seen to what extent the churches play the role of charitable associations in the country and not only come to the aid of Christians”, insists Sandra Boëlle. Over 80% of the Syrian population currently lives below the poverty line.
During their trip, the deputies were surprised by the quantity and the diversity of the portraits of Bashar al-Assad in the streets, but also by the extent of the destruction and by the almost total absence of rehabilitation. “The buildings stopped are proof of the development of the country before the war”, judge Raphaël Schellenberger. The Syrian regime has been for several months in a logic of end of war, trying to get the country out of its isolation on the international scene to relaunch investment and reconstruction.
The parliamentarians return with a finding that they hope to bring to the attention of the Quai d’Orsay. “Our interlocutors unanimously call for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations (the French embassy in Syria has been closed since March 2012, Editor’s note), the lifting of sanctions and the end of the embargo,pleads Didier Quentin. This is what they suffer from the most. These sanctions do not affect Bashar al-Assad, but the population. It is a vain calculation to think that deprivation will pit the population against the regime. “
” We must act quickly, adds Sandra Boëlle, so that Syria does not become, under pressure from the Islamists, a monoreligious state. “
Link: https://www.archyde.com/in-syria-french-deputies-went-to-meet-christians/
