Syria

In recent weeks, Israel struck the airports of Damascus and Aleppo. According to Ynet News, contacts are centred on military rather than political issues. Israel’s aim is to weaken Iran’s presence and block attacks against its territory. For Syrian President Assad, the goal is to protect the areas under his direct control and neutralise rebel strongholds.

Francis receives the Avsi Foundation, which has been promoting the "Open Hospitals" project since 2017 that has made possible 80 thousand health services in Catholic facilities. After 12 years of war," the pontiff recalled, "the Syrian one remains one of the most serious crises in the world, with destruction, growing humanitarian needs, socio-economic collapse, poverty and hunger at very serious levels. Remembering "good samiratans" killed while helping others.

Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne (Jec), Middle East section, sponsored a two-day seminar, the first post-Covid in presence event. The focus of the work was the "Brothers All" encyclical and the Abu Dhabi Document on fraternity. Beirut port explosion and Palestinian journalist's murder occasions for unity and "fusion" among diverse communities.

Oil smuggling in the north-east, between Kurds and the Syrian Democratic Forces, has triggered a health and environmental emergency. Medical sources report severe damage in the elderly, children and the chronically ill. The traffickers only interest of the is to "get more money" from the sale, to the detriment of the local population.

Today's headlines: a group of (Syrian) migrants rescued on a small island along the Turkey-Greece border; drought and power shortages in the Yangtze delta, as water at its lowest since 1961; in Pakistan, an anti-polio vaccination team attacked, two escort agents killed; Egyptian soccer player Salah donates 150 thousand euros to rebuild the burned Giza church; in Russia, a Protestant community targeted by police.

The attack marred the opening ceremony of Hagia Sophia Church in Suqaylabiyah, a replica of Istanbul’s ancient Byzantine Basilica recently repurposed as a mosque. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an anti-Assad terror group still in control of a large area of northern Syria, was blamed. The incident comes a few days after Erdoğan, Putin, and Raisi meet to de-escalate the Syrian conflict.

The final communiqué after the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran contains a vague commitment to "fight[ing] terrorism in all its forms". During his meeting with the Turkish leader, Iran’s Khamenei warns against creating a “buffer zone” against the Kurds. Meanwhile, the war of attrition continues along the Turkish-Syrian border.

Card. Zenari on experiencing in Syria what John Paul II called "the imagination of charity": The Church and Christians are multiplying their solidarity initiatives, but the emigration that risks emptying the community is weighing heavily. Sharing pain and suffering with a wounded nation; children the main victims of the conflict.

On June 28, Pope Francis accepted Msgr. Abou Khazen's resignation upon reaching the age for retirement. He has firsthand experience of the conflict, rampant poverty and emigration that afflict the nation. In reflections shared with AsiaNews he recounts the "darkness of death," which is countered by "commitment to our neighbor" even among Christians and Muslims. The call to continue the witness of faith and connection to the land.

This morning Francis received in audience the participants in the 95th Plenary Assembly of Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO). The latter is an example of the "synodal journey" of the universal Church. From Syria to Tigray, it is committed to alleviate the suffering of peoples. In the Middle East, “ecumenism already exists, first of all, as a local reality” with shared “suffering and witness”.

Lebanese PM Mikati issues a warning to the international community (and the West) for a return of refugees. Estimates speak of 1.5 million, a portion may return to pacified Syria. Their presence risks causing a demographic imbalance and upsetting the "covenant of common life."

After years of isolation due to war and pandemic, the community founded by Father Dall'Oglio is again welcoming pilgrims and visitors. For Abbot Br Jihad Youssef, the monastery is “a spiritual oasis of peace and friendship” in a still harsh context.