From Terrasanta.net
Rubble, houses and roads destroyed for kilometers. This is the most painful stage of our journey to Syria, where it’s hard to hold the commotion.
“Welcome to Aleppo!” The road signs indicating the entrance to the ancient capital of the North, sound almost like a joke. While signs of the bloody battle that a few weeks ago has managed to expel the rebel forces, are the most noticeable scar in this great city. But not even the war was able to destroy man. The people on the sidewalks smile, and cars have started circulating again. Even some commercial activity has begun to function again, and in the evening lights from the windows illuminates the homes of the citizens of Aleppo.
Just around the corner, however, there are only buildings that have been destroyed by missiles and bombs. Children play with the debris of the houses while elderly people, rummage in the garbage to find something to eat. Then we see many soldiers who are hungry and look terribly bored: this is what remains of the so called “Paris of the Middle East.” Water comes and goes, as well as electricity. Who knows how long it will take to rebuild everything … How much work has to be done to ease the pain of those who lost their wives, children, homes and loved ones.
Even the dead have no peace in this war. When the Latin parish priest Ibrahim Alsabagh takes us to the cemetery he shows us a myriad of graves entirely uncovered. “We had no cases of desecration fortunately, but many thieves came to steal what the relatives of the deceased had put next to their loved ones during the burial”, he says.
In that destroyed cemetery, a young Syrian is working. His name is Tarek, who is about to repaint the chapel destroyed by the bombing. We go on with our visit to some houses damaged by bombing and now recovered thanks to a project supported by the Association pro Terra Sancta. (more)
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