Pope Francis this Monday (20) received a group of bishops from the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the Vatican and called on the world not to forget the war in Syria due to the current conflict affecting Europe as well as the conflicts in Ukraine. The clergy will hold a synod in Rome.

“The dramas of the last months, which unfortunately forced us to look to Eastern Europe, should not make us forget what has been happening in your country for 12 years. […] “Thousands of dead and wounded, millions of internally displaced people, the impossibility of starting a necessary reconstruction,” he said.

Again in his speech, Francis said, “On more than one occasion I have come across and felt reports of some young Syrians who have come here and impressed me with the drama they carry with them for everything they have experienced and seen, but also with their eyes, almost hopeless, incapable of envisioning a future for their land”.

“We cannot allow the last spark of hope to be removed from the eyes and hearts of young people and families who have fallen into the Syrian drama,” he said.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church also stressed the importance of the members of the institution who demanded that the synod opening ceremony be held next to the tombs of “the holy apostles Peter and Paul”.

“We need their intercession because even in a society that some describe as ‘liquid’, where fast ties amplify loneliness and abandonment of the most fragile, the Christian congregation needs to have the courage to testify in the name of God Jesus,” he added.

Francis also recalled another moment when the faithful prayed for Syria in the Vatican. I remember that in the first year of the Papacy, we held a night prayer here while the bombing preparations were being made in Syria. [Praça] San Pedro with the Mass and the square with prayers. There were also Muslims who brought their rugs and prayed with us. He said that the expression “beloved and martyred Syria” was born from there.

The war in Syria began in 2011 after protests known as the Arab Spring, but to date there is no solution to the conflict that has forced civilians to kill and flee their homes. According to the latest data from the United Nations, more than 90% of the population currently lives below the poverty line due to endless conflict.

The attacks still result in the largest number of refugees in the world, with almost seven million people displaced and six million internally displaced since the beginning of the war. The deaths are estimated at around 350,000.