Aid given to people in Syrian city of Maaloula with assistance of Russian Orthodox Church Representation

On July 26, 2021, a humanitarian aid was conveyed from Russia to people in Maaloula, Syria, with the assistance of the Damascus-Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Dozens of humanitarian actions have been carried out as part of the work of a delegation that came to a meeting of the coordinating staffs of Russia and Syria for returning refugees and restoring peaceful life in the country ravaged by war. In Maaloula, two tons of foodstuffs from the Russian humanitarian mission were conveyed to needy parishioners of the church of God’s Prophet Elijah with the support of the Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides. All the children who live in Maaloula received gifts from the Russian National Organization of Veterans “Boyevoe Bratstvo” (Combat Brotherhood) including rucksacks with school stationary, Russian matryoshkas and Tula honey cakes. They also received icons of St. Spyridon of Trimythous - a gift from parishioners of the church of the Founding of the Lord’s Sepulcher-in-Uspensky Vrazhek, Moscow.

The Sunday schoolchildren of the church of God’s Prophet Elijah arranged a small concert and sang, among other songs, the Russian song “Katyusha” in Arabic. The rector of the parish, Father Elijah al-Shayeb, thanked the guests for the aid. He also spoke about his church, which was destroyed in a militants’ attack and now is being restored by the faithful.

As Dmitry Sablin, first deputy head of “Boyevoe Bratstvo” noted, “For us, Maaloula with its ruined monasteries and churches, executed Christians for their faith, hijacked nuns, and the miraculously saved children from the monastery’s orphanage is a symbol of what Christians in Syria had to endure. So, it is our duty to help them, support their efforts to restore churches and to preserve the Christian presence in this holy land.

The rector of the church blessed an icon of the Mother of God and gave it as a gift to the Russian delegation.

The guests from Moscow also visited the Blessing Summer Camp of the Orthodox Church of Antioch in Maaloula. Now resting in it are about one hundred children from several Sunday schools in Syrian cities. “Boevoye Bratstvo” also gave children a TV set and sporting goods, while representatives of the Krasnodar region conveyed to them foodstuffs, detergents and bedlinen.

A food supply weighing about a half ton was also conveyed to the Patriarchate of Antioch.

DECR Communication Service

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Aid given to people in Syrian city of Maaloula with assistance of Russian Orthodox Church Representation

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons