In front of the destruction that has shattered the Syrian city of Aleppo, Fr Ziad Hilal calls for an end to finger-pointing.

Urge your politicians to seek reconciliation in Syria, otherwise it will be hell for those living there, a Syrian priest is urging, weeks after calling on the Maltese to remember that they too were once war victims.

Fr Ziad Hilal. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Jesuit Fr Ziad Hilal, who oversees projects in Syria for Aid to the Church in Need is currently in the city and has just visited east Aleppo.

“For the first time in five years I was able to visit the eastern part of the city and get an idea of the situation, specifically the Christian quarter of Al-Midan. All you see is total destruction,” he told the international charity over the phone.

In November, Fr Hilal spoke to Times of Malta from the Aid to the Church in Need Malta offices in Attard, where he insisted that reconciliation and dialogue were key to peace in Syria.

He is again appealing to the parties in the conflict and western nations to cease provocation and commit themselves to reconciliation.

On Wednesday, a ceasefire agreement came into effect for the Syrian city. But Fr Hilal said the fighting had started again.

“We hear bombs and missile fire relatively close by. Not far from us there are two areas where the rebels are holed up and refuse to surrender. Up to now we’ve only heard fighting,” he said on the phone with ACN.

Just last weekend, his Jesuit residence was shelled, but luckily no one was killed. The community should have been celebrating Mass at the same time that it was bombed, but on that particular Saturday, they were elsewhere on a retreat with a community of sisters.

The Jesuit Convent in West Aleppo.

We’ve lost our civilisation and destroyed our history. What for? It’s a tragedy

When asked about media reports of massacres committed against civilians by the Syrian army and its allies, Fr Hilal expressed doubt.

He said there might have been isolated cases, but they have not heard anything.

“You have to know that these days, a lot of false information and fake pictures are being circulated. Organisations on site, such as the Red Cross, have not propagated such news. The problem is that people tend to exaggerate. It’s important not to provoke at this point, but to remain calm.”

Can he see any signs of reconciliation?

“Not yet. We’ve destroyed the city because we haven’t yet managed to come together in a dialogue. We’ve lost our civilisation and destroyed our history. What for? It’s a tragedy.”

He called for an end to pointing fingers at each other, noting that the media were playing a miserable role in this war. They were provoking the two sides and setting one against the other. This had to stop, Fr Hilal added.

The district of East Al Midan, Aleppo.

The Jesuit Father described the fight for Aleppo as a bitter one. The city has been completely destroyed and an inordinate amount of patience was needed to achieve the present ceasefire. However, people needed to keep their hopes up, he insisted.

Meanwhile, he reiterated his call on the west to stop the provocations.

“Call on the politicians to exercise reason and to seek moderate talks and reconciliation. The Middle East must become a peaceful region where all live in peace together. Otherwise it will become hell for us.”

Since the beginning of the war in Syria, ACN has funded emergency aid projects to the tune of about 15 million euros.ou would like to help, go to www.acnmalta.org or get in touch on 2148 7818 or info@acnmalta.org.