Fr Paolo’s vision

It is now seven months since a new chapter opened in Syrian history. At dawn on 8 December 2024, Bashar al-Assad boarded a Russian military aircraft from the Hmeimim base, bound for Moscow. Hours later, the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized control, welcomed by jubilant crowds in Damascus – but others were uncertain and fearful.

The new government promised to protect all religious groups. It’s a vital commitment for Fr Jihad Youssef, leader of the monastic community of Deir Mar Musa, perched in the mountains an hour north of the capital. He has lived there since 1999. The 1,000-year-old site was rediscovered in 1982 by the Italian Jesuit Paolo Dall’Oglio.

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