Syria: Priest says Our Lady protected parishioners when their church was bombed

First Communion in Syria

The priest of a Syrian Church shelled by Islamist rebels has said that the lives of the congregation were saved by the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Out of 400 Massgoers, only six were injured when a bomb exploded after falling from the roof of St Francis Church in Aleppo, north-west Syria.
The attack, which damaged the outside of the building, occurred during the 5pm Mass last Sunday (25th October 2015).

According to Father Ibrahim Alsabagh of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, who was saying Mass, the shell was probably fired from the old town - which is still under the control of jihadist rebel groups. He said: "If the bomb had blown a hole through the dome, it could have been a tragedy. And even if it had only caused the chandelier to fall, it could have killed as many as ten people. As I said to my congregation, it was the mantle of the Blessed Virgin that protected us."

Fr Alsabagh continued Mass in the church's garden after he had restored calm. He said: "Some of them were astonished by my reaction. But it is in the Lord that we find our strength, in union with Him through prayer. The strength to continue going forward, and even with still greater energy, now that we have to repair our church."

Fr Alsabagh told ACN that the attack was linked to anti-Christian hatred as attempts had been made to attack the church before. He said: "There are some who want to eliminate every possible sign of reconciliation and openness."

Fr Alsabagh added: "We long for all this chaos to end and we are hoping that we will soon be able to speak of these events as something in the past. And without the fear that attacks like this might happen again at any time."

Fr Alsabagh's views reflected those expressed by Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart during his visit to the UK for the launch of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need's report, Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2013 - 2015.

During his visit to the UK, Archbishop Jeanbart said that despite the relentless fighting in the country, Syrians do not want to leave their homeland and that the West should do more to encourage them to stay.

Speaking at ACN's annual Westminster event at Westminster Cathedral in London, he said: "If you want to help us, help us remain where we are."

ACN is supporting projects in Syria that seek to establish and rebuild the communities that have been damaged by the on-going war. The charity is working closely with the Archbishop and other Church leaders to provide emergency aid and pastoral help both for people in Syria and refugees in neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon.

For more information on Aid to the Church in Need see: www.acnuk.org