Dearest friends,
Thank you for what you are trying to do for all of us: to be the “good Samaritan” for your suffering brothers in Aleppo.
In order to try and let you identify yourselves with our situation of today, I’ll try to tell you what is happening here, starting from the primary needs of the people, of the families, needs that haven’t been adequately answered for too long, now.
Here are a few concrete facts that happened in the last three days. A rocket fell right behind our Church of Saint Francis, in the Azizieh neighborhood, a very populated area full of people who were resting or quietly walking on the streets during the afternoon.
On the next day I went to visit the houses damaged by the explosion, and I saw a huge amount of ruins and rubble. We must thank the Lord because this time only buildings were damaged and only a few people were lightly wounded. I perceived a lot of pain and sadness in the people’s hearts, a lot of fear and desperation. I prayed with them inside their damaged houses, sprinkling everyone and everything with holy water. As soon as I went back to the convent, I started distributing whatever could be helpful to fix up the houses, and everything has been immediately delivered to the families in need.

Right afterwards, I was informed about other dreadful bombings in various areas of Aleppo, by families that, desperate, came to the convent to beg for our help. A father reported that he had already fixed his house twice after it had been damaged by rockets; however, this time he couldn’t even think about fixing it up again. Therefore, he fled with the whole family, his wife and children, to his in-laws’ house, where they found shelter even though that house is much smaller.
The houses of many families are destroyed and there is no way to repair them, because their neighborhoods have become a continuous target; thus it is not advisable for them to go back and live there.
Unfortunately the bombing is not ending; actually it is increasing both during the day and during the night. The people are suffering a lot. Many of them cannot sleep even for a single hour and the few lucky ones who still have a job go to work in the morning in spite of everything.

As if that were not enough, yesterday a shortage of water started again; this means that another period of intense distribution of water has started by little trucks that bring it to the houses, or through plastic containers provided quickly and with priority to the elderly who can’t wait.
Life is terrible and I no longer wonder why people try to emigrate, why they “throw themselves into the sea” risking everything, including their own lives. Seeing what happens here, it might seem absurd to remain here in Aleppo according to human reason.

Anyway, we friars are staying in order to help the people. This is the time to be present in a more decisive way, staying close and taking care of the poor and of all those who suffer; we are poor like them, and with them we suffer and we pray to the Father who is providential and “full of mercy.”

I want to thank all of you because, although far away, you pray for us, you care and think of us, and you are open to the breath of the Holy Spirit; in this way you become a careful, tender, and active presence like the “good Samaritan,” who takes care of the poor and suffering people in Aleppo.
From the ruins and catacombs of Aleppo, a prayer for each one of you rises constantly from our hearts to our lips.
God bless you!

Aleppo, September 29, 2015