Syrian cathedral, a glimmer of hope in the midst of chaos

Aleppo has long been a martyred city.

In the nine years since the outbreak of fighting in Syria, it has been at the heart of the clashes. 

As a consequence, it has lost four-fifths of its diverse Christian population.

There are only about 30,000 people left from the various denominations. Most of them are elderly. Most of the younger Christians have fled the war torn country.

Despite this dramatic situation, Aleppo’s newly restored Maronite Cathedral was due to be re-opened on July 20.

St. Elijah's Cathedral suffered severe damage from bombings. Its roof had been totally destroyed.

"It is a sign of hope after the feeling of having lost everything," rejoiced Archbishop Joseph Tobji, Maronite Archbishop of Aleppo.

"We need to send a message of faith to show that Eastern Christians still exist in Aleppo and that death does not prevail over us," he said.

"It is not the quantity of the faithful that counts, but the quality of faith. The Apostles were only twelve!" the archbishop exclaimed.

Identical reconstruction

Vincent Gelot, head of the Syrian branch of the Œuvre d'Orient, was at Archbishop Tobji's side in December 2016 when the prelate was able to reclaim "his" cathedral. 

That’s when government forces drove out the rebels that had controlled the city since 2011.

"Bishop Tobji was very moved and I told him that we would help him," he recalled.

Even before rebuilding their homes and businesses, the Christians pleaded for the restoration of their cathedral, Gelot said.

"For the Maronites, the cathedral represents their anchorage in the city and shows their identity," he emphasized.

To respect this identity, the cathedral was rebuilt exactly as it was before the bombings.

Since know-how had been lost, Gelot said architects were brought specially from Italy to help with the reconstruction, and the framework itself was imported from the Italian peninsula.

In addition to the Œuvre d'Orient, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) helped raise nearly one million euros needed to complete the project.

The Maronite Catholics will probably not be the only ones to celebrate the reopening of their cathedral.

"The government of Bashar Al Assad could seize the opportunity to once again pose as the protector of minorities," said Fabrice Balanche, a geographer and expert on Syria.

"The inauguration of the cathedral could be used by the regime to denounce the American policy of sanctions which make the inhabitants suffer and will inevitably lead to the continued exodus of minorities," he said. 

"The situation is worse than in the darkest hours of the war" 

Although Assad himself is not expected to be present at the inauguration, this could not be ruled out. 

Balanche said if the president came "it would be to celebrate the full return of Aleppo to the bosom of the regime and the event would then go beyond the question of the protection of Christians".

The event would be all the more important since Assad has not set foot in Aleppo since the end of 2016.

"It seems that the Russians are opposed to it so that the regime understands that it owes them victory," Balanche argued.

For the inhabitants, the situation is all the more dramatic as the currency is in free fall, while in neighboring Lebanon the crisis seems to worsen every day.

"Lebanon was the only air pocket, but it is also collapsing," said a worried Archbishop Tobji.

"The economic situation in Aleppo is worse than in the darkest hours of the war," added the head of Œuvre d'Orient.

"The future is dark, everything seems to be in the hands of the Americans, the Russians and the regional forces," Bishop Tobji lamented.

"Pray for us,” he then pleaded. “This is the main thing we need!"