04:14The Greek Orthodox Church of Elijah the Prophet in Aleppo celebrated the Christmas holiday with a mass on Sunday, marking the restoration of the church after the destructive earthquake in February. The ceremony, attended by a group of Christians, featured prayers, religious songs, and the lighting of candles.
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli expressed gratitude for the church's restoration, emphasising the deep symbolism of Christmas as a day of human renewal and peace for the world.
He stated, "Aleppo city has witnessed a lot of difficulties, especially the devastating earthquake this year that destroyed many of the buildings, including homes of the parish and part of this church."
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli further mentioned, "Yet, thank God, we returned to pray in this church, and by the love of our master Patriarch John, we were able to hold this blessing Christmas Mass with these good people praying for the peace of the whole world."
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
The mass attendees also expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine.
One participant, Magda Bekindi, shared her sentiments, saying, "Our celebrations this year were restricted to prayers in churches, and hopefully next year, we will celebrate in better circumstances. Due to the general challenging situation in our country and all countries, God willing, next year will witness the liberation of Gaza, and the children of Gaza will be celebrating with us."
The celebration of Christmas this year was cancelled in Jordan and Bethlehem in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Churches of other Middle Eastern countries limit Christmas mass holding back from celebrating.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 52,000 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
'Aleppo witnessed a lot of difficulties' - Restored Greek Orthodox church celebrates Christmas following February earthquake
The Greek Orthodox Church of Elijah the Prophet in Aleppo celebrated the Christmas holiday with a mass on Sunday, marking the restoration of the church after the destructive earthquake in February. The ceremony, attended by a group of Christians, featured prayers, religious songs, and the lighting of candles.
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli expressed gratitude for the church's restoration, emphasising the deep symbolism of Christmas as a day of human renewal and peace for the world.
He stated, "Aleppo city has witnessed a lot of difficulties, especially the devastating earthquake this year that destroyed many of the buildings, including homes of the parish and part of this church."
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli further mentioned, "Yet, thank God, we returned to pray in this church, and by the love of our master Patriarch John, we were able to hold this blessing Christmas Mass with these good people praying for the peace of the whole world."
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
The mass attendees also expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine.
One participant, Magda Bekindi, shared her sentiments, saying, "Our celebrations this year were restricted to prayers in churches, and hopefully next year, we will celebrate in better circumstances. Due to the general challenging situation in our country and all countries, God willing, next year will witness the liberation of Gaza, and the children of Gaza will be celebrating with us."
The celebration of Christmas this year was cancelled in Jordan and Bethlehem in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Churches of other Middle Eastern countries limit Christmas mass holding back from celebrating.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 52,000 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.
The Greek Orthodox Church of Elijah the Prophet in Aleppo celebrated the Christmas holiday with a mass on Sunday, marking the restoration of the church after the destructive earthquake in February. The ceremony, attended by a group of Christians, featured prayers, religious songs, and the lighting of candles.
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli expressed gratitude for the church's restoration, emphasising the deep symbolism of Christmas as a day of human renewal and peace for the world.
He stated, "Aleppo city has witnessed a lot of difficulties, especially the devastating earthquake this year that destroyed many of the buildings, including homes of the parish and part of this church."
Bishop Ephrem Maalouli further mentioned, "Yet, thank God, we returned to pray in this church, and by the love of our master Patriarch John, we were able to hold this blessing Christmas Mass with these good people praying for the peace of the whole world."
Earlier in this year's February, Syria and Turkey suffered from two 7.5+ magnitude earthquakes that claimed over 59,000 lives; 8,000 of which were in Syria.
The mass attendees also expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine.
One participant, Magda Bekindi, shared her sentiments, saying, "Our celebrations this year were restricted to prayers in churches, and hopefully next year, we will celebrate in better circumstances. Due to the general challenging situation in our country and all countries, God willing, next year will witness the liberation of Gaza, and the children of Gaza will be celebrating with us."
The celebration of Christmas this year was cancelled in Jordan and Bethlehem in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Churches of other Middle Eastern countries limit Christmas mass holding back from celebrating.
Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 according to Israeli officials.
Israel declared war on the group and a 'complete siege' of Gaza, with a large-scale campaign of air strikes. A ground incursion began at the end of the third week, with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' Hamas. Palestinian officials reported that at least 20,000 people had been killed and more than 52,000 injured at the time of publication.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response. However, United Nations experts warned against 'collective punishment' for the people of Gaza, before predicting a 'humanitarian crisis' and then claimed that 'hell is settling in' for the region.