News from the Orient – December 6, 2024

This week’s Oriental News:

War returns to Aleppo

The cities of Aleppo and Hama in northern Syria fell to the armed militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, originally from the Idlib region.

Some residents fled, but the majority were caught off guard by the rapid incursion and lack of resistance from the government army.

After 13 years of war, Christian church leaders have expressed concern about the potential return of daily violence.

In response, the Syrian army carried out a series of bombings, causing several casualties and the destruction of the Franciscan-run College of the Holy Land.

Saint Nicholas in Ukraine

On Sunday, December 1, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, inaugurated the St. Nicholas Residence of the Lviv Patriarchal House to celebrate the saint’s feast, a tradition deeply dear to Christian culture .

The house will remain open until December 15 to welcome children, share festive moments and receive gifts.

Faithful to its mission of moral support in times of crisis, the Church aims to “bring joy to children whose childhood is stolen by war”.

The festive atmosphere was enhanced by Christmas carols performed by the choir of the Holy Spirit Theological Seminary of Lviv.

Advent begins in Jerusalem

On December 1, Father Francesco Patton made his solemn entry into Bethlehem, marking the beginning of Advent.

Arriving as a pilgrim from Jerusalem, the Custos of the Holy Land was welcomed along the Street of the Stars and under the Arch of Al-Zararah by a procession of children, believers and religious representatives.

In the Grotto of the Nativity, he lit the first Advent candle, declaring: “I invite pilgrims to return as soon as possible to the Holy Land, with the sincere hope that this war will end before Christmas.”