Christian Syrians celebrate Christmas amid heightened tensions

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00At the Church of Prophet Elias in Damascus, Christmas is being celebrated differently this year.

00:06On the illuminated shape of a Christmas tree hang the portraits of parishioners killed in a suicide attack this past June.

00:13Among the victims was Simon Haddad.

00:18It's been very difficult having lost my father. He was well known in this church.

00:23Today, I still feel unsafe. Even after six months, everyone is still feeling the impact.

00:30But our faith is stronger. Without it, we wouldn't be here.

00:37Despite her pain, Jenny still attends the church she grew up in, even helping to hang the Christmas decorations.

00:43I hope each Christmas will be a celebration of peace and love and that all Syrians will be safe.

00:52This is where the attack took place. Candles burn in homage to the 25 victims.

00:58With repairs ongoing, Christmas prayers are held in an adjoining hall.

01:04Our sadness is immense, but our joy and hope are greater.

01:14We've decorated our tree with photos of our marchers to let everyone know that we're still celebrating.

01:19The celebrations are taking place under heightened security precautions.

01:26Some 30 kilometers away, in Malula, just a few faithful have come to pray at the St. Thecla Monastery,

01:32vandalized by the al-Nusra Front in 2013.

01:35This icon was at the entry of the sanctuary. It represents St. Thecla. With love, anything is possible.

01:46In this historic Christian village, Christmas symbols are done discreetly.

01:53The atmosphere is tense in Malula this Christmas. We're afraid of incidents at churches and across Syria.

02:00A year after the fall of Assad, the threat of radical factions is feeding fear and weighing on the future of Syrian Christians.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended