Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh describes his experience in Aleppo at the Rimini Meeting in Italy. Small daily gestures that can change a person and the world.
If there is one image that captures the essence of the last edition of the Rimini Meeting which concluded yesterday, that is Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, parish priest of the Latin Church of St. Francis in Aleppo. It is testimonies like his – which are inevitably shocking – that shows us that Jesus is with us “to the end of the world”. “I am here to share the joy of the faith,” he immediately points out on the stage. For someone who lives under the constant thunder of bombs and with ISIS practically in his back yard, to say this, he either has to be mad or God must be nearby.
Fr. Ibrahim arrived in Aleppo nine months ago in the thick of the Syrian crisis. He describes this difficult situation as the Revelation: “We are living in chaos and we are lacking everything. Alongside the real problem of security – his neighbourhood is controlled by the Syrian government but the Caliphate troops are just a short distance away – there is also the difficulty of getting hold of things due to rising costs and the scarcity of resources. But whenever a need is satisfied, we appreciate it more, even something as simple as a glass of water.”
Fr. Ibrahim does not beat about the bush in his explanation of what it means to be parish priest of Aleppo. “Our task is to meet people’s needs, regardless of whether they are Christians or Muslims.” Adding to the already difficult situation in Aleppo, is a sweltering heat and a consequent water shortage. His parish is lucky enough to have a well, which caters for the needs of the neighbourhood. It is these kinds of day-to-day life situations that reveal the presence of Christ.
“People queue for hours but despite this, nothing happens. Just cheery and smiley people waiting their turn. A Muslim approached me and whispered in my ear: ‘This is very strange, there is something great here among you. When I walk around the city, I see people fighting, almost killing each other over a bucket of water. But here it’s different.” Speaking to everyone about Christ is difficult in the context in which we live. But it is through these small gestures of peace of heartfelt joy, of patience and humility that we manage to say so much to those who thirst for something great.” A faith that is communicated not with grandiose speeches but simply by using the method Jesus taught us: “Come, follow me”.
Every day, Fr. Ibrahim wakes up wishing that the conflict will end. This is his greatest wish. “We don’t know when it will all end, but it doesn’t matter when and how it will end. The important thing is to bear witness to Christ, only then will the political and humanitarian solution come. Bearing testimony to the Christian life by loving, forgiving and taking also into consideration the salvation of those who harm us.” These words point towards the only possible path that can lead to the salvation of mankind.
