Ancient monastery prays for Mother Syria

[Dale_M]

“The fact is that the situation is not calm, the movement is still going on, and violence is still growing,” says Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio, founder of the monastic community at Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi in Syria.

In the midst of the growing conflict in Syria, the monks and nuns of the Community dedicated a week of prayer for reconciliation and peace in their country. “We call it spiritual jihad, spiritual effort,” Fr. Dall’Oglio said. “People think it means the holy war, but it means, first and last, the spiritual effort, to face the mutual violence with a mutual, deep desire for reconciliation.” He said young people especially took part in the week of prayer. “We have been seeing in these days youth coming to the monastery from all parts of Syria, [of] all religious belongings, all political stands, and able to pray together and to ask the help of God for real reconciliation.”

Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi (the Monastery of Saint Moses the Assyrian) is a Syriac Catholic monastic community located in the mountains of Nebek in northern Syria. The monastery traces its roots to the sixth century, although the current building was constructed in 1058.

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Perhaps it would be good if we all prayed for the people of Syria. Despite the ongoing unrest which has lasted for months, things seem to be getting worse, rather than better.