Milan () – Syria is experiencing what John Paul II called “the imagination of charity”, which encourages the promotion of “projects and initiatives, from food to water, including aid in the medical field” with ever-increasing resources. more scarce and an increasingly dramatic reality. The apostolic nuncio in Damascus, card. Mario Zenari, a veteran Vatican diplomat who never left the country, even in the darkest moments of the conflict, describes the current situation in Syria to . We interviewed him a few days ago in Italy, when he was received in a private audience by Pope Francis, with whom he shared an increasingly difficult reality for a nation that has long since disappeared from the radar of the international community.
However, the Church and Christians continue -and if possible multiply- their initiatives, as is the case with the Open Hospitals project “which in less than five years has provided free care to more than 80,000 patients of all ethnic groups, religions and strata social”. And in a context of increasingly limited resources, the Cardinal explains that the goal is “to open two other Catholic clinics, to reach the quota of 100,000 poor patients cared for in our centers.” Because charity, he affirms with conviction, “when it is open to all, it arouses enormous gratitude, even in non-Christians, and becomes a meeting point”. Next, the interview with card. Zenary:
Your Eminence, what is the current situation in Syria?
There is a stalemate regarding a possible political solution, which is the key to overcoming the consequences of 12 years of war. Humanitarian aid is necessary, but they are drops of water in the desert. The solution is political, as is repeated in the various international forums and as the UN special envoy underlines, because without that there is no future. Unfortunately, it is still a long way off.
Can elements of hope be seen in this bleak picture?
The Churches are committed to promoting humanitarian projects and what has been a very positive and encouraging sign was the conference of all Catholic realities that took place in March. It was a beautiful sign of synodality and confirmation of what the nunciature had been saying for years: the need to coordinate the various humanitarian projects. Cardinal Sandri himself [prefecto de las Iglesias Orientales], when he visited the country in October last year he insisted on that. The meeting brought together for three days in Damascus the 16 eparchies, their respective ordinary bishops, representatives of different Vatican dicasteries, the secretary of Roaco, Caritas international and other humanitarian institutions of the Church in Syria, male and female religious congregations and directors of the three Catholic hospitals… a very encouraging sign! It was the most significant event after the visit of Saint John Paul II 21 years ago, because he allowed us to meet, discuss and get to know each other. It has been the starting point for coordinating and promoting the aid received.
Today there is talk of the “poverty bomb” that produces more victims than war. Is the humanitarian situation still dramatic?
The picture has worsened, as reported by the United Nations, according to which suffering has never been at such high levels, not even during the years of war. In addition to an unspecified number of deaths, possibly half a million, we have some 14 million homeless people: just under seven million internally displaced people, with a winter, the last one, that was very harsh and caused the collapse of many tents . And another approximately seven million refugees in neighboring countries… 14 out of 23 million, the total population according to the last census. A horrifying crisis that adds 13 million people who need urgent humanitarian aid. What aggravates this already complicated panorama is that for at least three years Syria has been forgotten and overtaken by other emergencies: the Lebanese economic and financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and finally Ukraine.
Does the Syrian population perceive this kind of abandonment?
What I see when I leave the nunciature and meet people, especially young people, is the desire to leave, to be able to escape, to emigrate. They do not see a future and prefer, in one way or another, to leave the country, and that is one more aggravating factor, because young, qualified people, doctors, engineers, labor are leaving. It is another bomb that also has an effect on Christians, who are the weakest link. To date, more than half of the Christian community has emigrated and sometimes is lost forever, because when they go to South America or Europe they are forced to join the majority Church, which is the Latin, and lose their Eastern identity. And it is also a social loss, due to the contribution they make with their open and universal spirit in the field of education or health.
How is the “Open Hospitals” initiative progressing, one of the many activities promoted by the Church?
We are multiplying our efforts in humanitarian aid, but we have to work with great patience and tenacity because after so many years, aid and resources are diminishing. Just think of the contributions from Europe. The evangelical “five loaves and two fish” are less and less, so we must try to organize ourselves better and better, and that was precisely the result of the conference in mid-March, walking together and optimizing the resources allocated to humanitarian projects .
Cardinal Zenari, can you take stock of your 13 years as nuncio?
I have tried to live with Christians, I have seen a lot of suffering and I have tried to get involved in that suffering and share it. It is a pain that extends to all of Syria. I tried to share that sea of pain, I feel very close to this town. A catastrophe, a great tragedy, that is what my eyes have seen and my heart has felt. It is something terrible and deep, impossible to express. But I have also seen and experienced great solidarity. Above all, I have seen the suffering of many children, who are the first victims and the main victims of this conflict.
At the same time, hope has not been lost, which never dies, that one day or another we will see the end of this tunnel. Encouraged by the Pope, we have experienced what John Paul II called the “imagination of charity”, the creativity of charity, with various initiatives and projects: from food to water, through aid in the medical field . One example is the “Open Hospitals” project, which in less than five years has provided free care to more than 80,000 poor patients of all ethnicities and religions. We want to build two other Catholic dispensaries, to reach 100,000 poor patients of any ethnicity and religion. When charity is open to all, there is much appreciation from non-Christians [Siria es un país de mayoría musulmana]because charity moves and becomes a meeting point.
Has Pope Francis encouraged you to continue your work?
The meeting with the Pope was beautiful, very encouraging and gratifying. He encouraged me to continue and asked me to take his greetings and his closeness to the Christian population and to all the Syrians.
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