07.06.2017, Syria.
More than 25 thousand Christians of various denominations have returned to Aleppo, which has been liberated from the terrorists, said a senior priest of St. Ilia Antioch Orthodox church in Aleppo, farther Jabrail Hazard, on June 6, TASS news agency reported.
Jabrail Hazard told reporters, “After the liberation of Aleppo, more than 25 thousand Christians of various denominations returned to the city; there were a few dozen of us during active hostilities”. He reminded that there were around 150 thousand Christians living in Aleppo before the war.
According to him, around 13 ancient churches in the old part of the city have been seriously damaged by terrorists. Some of them were completely destroyed, because militants purposely destroyed Christian churches during hostilities, even organizing firing points in some of them.
The senior priest also informed that the community has already prepared a restoration plan for the Christian churches, but there is no money even to start restoration.
“We call on all those who love us and who wish peace to our people, to the people of God to help us build new a Syria, a new Aleppo, and to extend to us a helping hand for the reconstruction of the destroyed mosques, churches, and places of memory linked to our common history,” senior priest Jabrail said.
Eastern Aleppo, which had been under the control of radical Islamist groups for four years was completely liberated on December 22, 2016. The militants and members of their families left the city on buses using a corridor set up for them. On June 4, 2017, the Syrian army supported by Russia’s Aerospace Forces cleared the city of Maskanah from militants, the last ISIL (organization banned in Russia) stronghold in the province of Aleppo.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
