2016-09-14 11:10:00

Aleppo parish priest: We're stuggling against desperation


(Vatican Radio) There was calm across much of Syria Wednesday following a Russian and US brokered ceasefire, although a number of violations were reported since it took hold. With the truce in place the northern city of Aleppo is awaiting much needed aid.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said aid for the rebel-held city is a top priority, and that a key concern about the overall cease-fire is whether sporadic ``incidents'' worsen to threaten the deal.

Fr Ibrahim Alsabagh is the Parish priest in Aleppo and spoke to Lydia O’Kane about the desperate situation the people are facing there.

Listen to the full interview 

Ceasefire

Speaking about the effect of the ceasefire Fr Ibrahim said, that “we could sleep easily in this night and we hope really that this night could be a model for all the future nights. He added, that it has been “so so hard for us to live under continuous bombardment”.

Living conditions

Asked about the conditions for the people living in Aleppo, the Parish Priest said, “the war is posing many many difficulties and we are continuing to live (through) the results of this war. We are at times without water; we don’t have electricity at all in the city and no jobs. Many of the families are living under the level of the poverty (below the poverty line)”.

Fr Ibrahim said the  Church was already providing humanitarian assistance on the ground. …“from what we have from our benefactors  we are trying to buy from the local market what we need to prepare the elementary box and non-food items and to distribute to help the people and to assist them directly and in a continuous way and really as a Franciscan, as a priest I am proud of what the Church is offering here in Aleppo.”

He went to say that he hoped that international aid would arrive soon because the people are in huge need of it.








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