A priest in Aleppo, where God never ceases to amaze

Tuesday, August 4th, 2015

“The parish is not yet directly under threat, but some of our neighbours risk their lives every day. Most of the jihadists who attack us do not even speak Arabic. They all come from faraway countries and have little to do with the Syrian revolution.”

43-year-old Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, has been serving as a parish priest in Aleppo since October. He was born in Damascus, completed his studies in Rome and then returned to Syria “to be with his people”.

Internet and telephone lines are working one minute and are down then next in the city that has suffered the most devastation in the ongoing conflict.

Water and electricity are a luxury. And yet this determined Franciscan friar continues to live there, helping anyone and everyone, Christians and Muslims alike, caught in a mire that spares no one.

Fr. Ibrahim, how can you live in a place like Aleppo, a city worn out by the violence of this absurd war?
“The number one thing that keeps me going is God’s will, as I have perceived it in my life. Once I made a pact with the Lord, when I received a clear calling to follow Him.

“I said to Him: ‘Lord, life with you is quite difficult, but without you it is impossible. I cannot live apart from you.’ Then, when I realised that my vocation was to heal others, families, as a priest I asked for me to stay where I am, with my family, so I could dedicate myself entirely to others.

“I was 19 when it happened to me, but it is something I always hold close to my heart. Looking after His family, His people: this is His will and I am perfectly prepared to do this, to go to any part of the world where I am certain it is He who is sending me, through His representatives, the superiors who ask me whether I am willing to go.

“So, when I was asked to go to Aleppo, I did not feel fear, even though I knew I would have a heavy cross to carry being here.” Continue reading

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