Aleppo-Sana
This evening, I celebrated the inauguration of the Dormition Church of the Virgin and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese after their restoration from the damage they sustained as a result of terrorism in the Jdeideh neighborhood of the old city of Aleppo.
Patriarch John X Yazigi, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Greek Orthodox, indicated in his speech the importance of reopening the old Archdiocese and the historical church after the return of life to the region and the dusting off of war and terrorism, pointing out that they rose from under destruction like a phoenix to say that the light of truth is stronger than the darkness of falsehood, as a new dawn has dawned And evidence of the continuation of Eastern Christianity.
Patriarch Yazigi pointed out that the opening of the church and the archdiocese is a testimony to history saying that we are staying here to pray in Aleppo for peace for Syria and for the whole world.
Patriarch Yazigi affirmed the unity of the Syrian soil and the necessity of liberating every inch of it, once again calling for the lifting of the Western economic siege on Syria so that everyone could live in safety.
In turn, the Minister of Awqaf, Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayed, explained that the reopening of the church and the archdiocese after their rehabilitation and restoration constitutes a great day in Aleppo and Syria, and it is a message of victory and faith. Mosques and churches that have been subjected to terrorism and destruction by people who raised the banner of Islam while they do not belong to it.
Minister Al-Sayed said that Syria is the cradle of the Islamic and Christian religion, pointing out that the Christian presence is authentic and rooted in the minds and hearts of the Syrians.
For his part, Archbishop Avram Maalouli, Metropolitan of Aleppo, Iskenderun and their dependencies, said to the Greek Orthodox that the church is returning today to its original and ancient splendor after its restoration and rehabilitation to remain evidence of the succession of generations throughout the ages, spreading salvation and love throughout the universe.
Maalouli added: Today, we live by this faith, Christians and Muslims loving each other, because we are the sons of this good country, Syria, which withstood the face of terrorism and triumphed over it.
In a statement to SANA reporter, Eng. George Tannuz, the supervisor of the restoration work in the church, said that the restoration work began in 2018, when the church witnessed the destruction of nine domes of its roof as a result of terrorism out of 11 domes, and work was done to restore these domes using the original materials for construction, and in the second phase the restoration was done The church from the inside to take its splendor and heritage, and then add the lighting works and the final cosmetic touches on it.
The ceremony was attended by the Governor of Aleppo Hussein Diab, the Secretary of the Aleppo branch of the party Ahmed Mansour, the President of Aleppo University, Dr. Maher Karman, the Secretary of the Aleppo University branch of the party, Dr. Ibrahim Hadid, the provincial police chief and the heads of Christian denominations.
Qusai Razzouk
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