Syria - World Youth Day in Aleppo "Move the Heart"
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25 July 2016

(ANS - Aleppo) - The Salesians in Aleppo, together with the local churches and about 30 associations and scout groups, have organized World Youth Day on 29 and 30 July, to coincide with World Youth Day in Krakow.  World Youth Day in Aleppo is entitled "Move the heart" and about 1200 young people are expected to attend.

Despite the war the Salesians of Aleppo have remained close to the people. They continue their educative and pastoral work especially with young people, in the spirit of Don Bosco. The summer activities involved about 950 young people and 85 leaders. When the summer activities are over, the work of the oratory continues.   Since they could not be present at World Youth Day in Krakow the Salesians in Aleppo decided to organize an event that might bring WYD to Aleppo, hence the idea of ​​the World Youth Day in Aleppo, on the theme "Move the Heart". It is  organized in conjunction with the local churches, with the blessing of the bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches in Aleppo and the involvement of about 30 associations and scout groups. Fr Pier Jabloyan, SDB, Vice-Rector of the Salesian work in Aleppo, told Vatican Insider:  "'Move the Heart' means the movement of the heart that took Jesus to the poor: it is an open invitation to young people to assimilate the sentiments of Jesus towards others. To date, we have no link with the world event, although we would like the voice of the young people of Aleppo to reach the Pope." Fr Jabloyan continues: "Mercy in my country, and especially in my city of Aleppo, is manifested daily through people of good will who perform real acts of mercy and show how the Risen Lord is truly the Lord of life. We do not have much to say but we try to do as much good as we can considering the situation we are experiencing, because here nothing is safe ". "We are being hit by mortars, bombs, stray shells and shrapnel ... We cannot get used to all this, we cannot get used to a war that takes innocent lives every day." Fr Pier concludes, "In these times of war, we must take mercy seriously because without mercy and forgiveness this war will never end."

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