It was a moving meeting with H.E. Shahan Sarkissian, who is the Archbishop of Aleppo of the Armenian Christian Church. The primate was welcomed in the Church of St. Gregory the Armenian, which is situated in the heart of the ancient center of Naples; upon his arrival, he prayed with emotion in front of the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, who is the founder of his Church and has been kept for centuries in a chapel.
He told of the great pain of Syria and his city, Aleppo, which has been living through war for four and a half years: hundreds of thousands of victims, refugees, closed churches, lack of food and medicine ... and now the hard ordeal of a cold winter without any source of heat. In fact, there are no trees left to be cut for burning wood. This was possible until last year. Many children and elderly people are dying due to cold temperatures.
"Before the war, Christians of the different denominations, Muslims, ... lived together. Hence, living together is possible ... Now, in this time of war, the Christian churches of Aleppo, Armenian, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, jointly live in solidarity (schools, food aid, etc.) towards those who are weaker and more exposed, whether Christians or Muslims ... For centuries we have been living with Islam, we know it; never think that terrorism is 'Islam, they are not real Muslims; the Muslim religion is something else!"
In the end, there was a heartfelt appeal to never forget Syria and Aleppo during the prayer, "We need your prayers that support us. On my way to return to Aleppo, I will tell you about this beautiful meeting, and your interest in us. This will restore hope and strength to so many individuals in Syria!"
The meeting concluded with a prayer for peace and an end to the violence in all countries around the world where there are still wars and conflicts.
