My opinion: I do not understand how a Catholic Archbishop would discourage his flock from escaping the jihadist killers while they can — if they can. How can he blame them for fleeing? He wants those Catholics who remain today in Syria to stay and maintain the Christian presence that goes back to apostolic times. Mighty words! If the Archbishop wants to “encourage” the very brave to remain and “rebuild”, he must tell them that they must be prepared to die for Christ. That is the message of hope that they need. Then, if martyred, they will go straight to heaven having shed their blood at the hands of those who hate Christianity. Otherwise, why should they stay? What other motivation would they have to stay? “Rebuild”? Why give false hopes? There is no rebuilding going to happen. Christianity in Syria and Iraq is going to die as long as the Moslems are on jihad. Maybe I am totally wrong. Maybe there is hope for peace. See heart-wrenching article here in NYTimes. God help these poor people who desparately need our prayers.
CNA: With half of Syria’s population displaced due to its ongoing civil war, Church leaders in the country are seeking to send a message of hope and support for the persecuted Christian minority who have chosen to stay.
“At the time of this writing, Aleppo is undergoing a massive assault by jihadists, and bombs have been falling for hours. It is as if everything is being done to scare people and push them to leave,” Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo wrote in a July 17 letter. More on this here.
