NEWS
(ANS - Aleppo) - Nearly 12 years of war, a bomb-ravaged country with only two hours of electricity per day, no fuel for generators, where there is no work, and where prices are unaffordable due to inflation: this was Syria at the time it suffered two devastating earthquakes between Sunday, Feb. 5 and Monday, Feb. 6, both exceeding 7 on the Richter scale. The first brought survivors to the streets in the rain; the second brought down many damaged buildings. In the face of such a scenario, Salesians around the world are taking action, and from Spain, both "Misiones Salesianas," the Salesian Mission Office of Madrid, and "Bosco Global," an NGO of the Spain-Mary Help of Christians Province, have been activated.
(ANS - Aleppo) - "We still don't know how we will organize, what with the cold, the snow, and the situation of many buildings after almost 12 years of war. The population is in urgent need of aid." These were the first words that Fr. Alejandro León, Superior of the "Adolescent Jesus" Province of the Middle East (MOR), sent from Aleppo, Syria, a martyred land, as Pope Francis has often called it, that has been even more martyred since last Monday.
(ANS - Valencia) - The consecration of the Temple of St. John Bosco in the Venezuelan city of Valencia took place last January 28 in an atmosphere of joy and great participation, in the presence of more than a thousand faithful. Msgr. Pablo Modesto González Pérez, SDB, Bishop of Guasdualito, was also present at the event.
(ANS - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) - Two orphans in white aprons, some men in dark suits, members of the local bourgeoisie, and a small group of Salesians set on the volcanic stone staircase leading to the Salesian house in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The black-and-white photo was taken on Dec. 8, 1923, and testifies to the beginning of the Salesian presence in Spain's Canary Islands archipelago.
(ANS - Aleppo) - The number of victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on the night of Feb. 5-6 continues to rise. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which had its epicenter in Kahramanmaraş province in southern Turkey and very close to Syria's northwestern border, was powerfully felt in 14 countries, including Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and Jordan.