Christmas in Lebanon: Hope for hungry children!

Christmas in Lebanon: Hope for hungry children!

Manuel Baghdi, the Middle East Representative of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, recently visited Lebanon to prepare hundreds of children a Merry Christmas. With donations from Cardinal Schönborn and the parish of St. Stephan in Baden as well as the entire pastoral room Baden-Ssoß, he and his team brought important support to the approximately 450 children in the St. Josef school center of the Merciful Sisters in Ajeltoun. Many of the children come from precarious conditions and live in a boarding school that is looked after by the sisters; Among them are Syrian and Iraqi refugee children. Baghdi reported extreme emergencies in the region, in particular through the continuing conflicts between Israel and the Hisbollah, which forced many families to leave their villages in South Libanon while they had to flee to the capital Beirut, such as kathpress reported.

fear and hope of Christians in Syria

Baghdi also commented on the critical Situation in Syria, where the Christians and members of other faith communities are between hope and fear. Despite positive feedback on the new rulers, the concern remains great because the Syrian constitution was suspended for revision and reports to indicate inconvenience for women. According to Baghdi, the reports about attacks by Islamists are piling up on Christian symbols, whereby a Christmas tree on the area known as the "Platz of the Christians" was overturned in Aleppo. The return to the patronage of the Assad regime also brings uncertainty, especially for the individually threatened people, as he described in a media discussion in Vienna, as he described in a media discussion, as katholisch.at

Baghdi pointed out the concerned situation of the Syrian refugees in Austria, especially according to the latest political decisions that affected the asylum procedures. Many felt unsettled by the announcements of the federal government and were afraid of deportation. In the middle of these challenges, the support of the Christians in the Orient remains a central concern of Cardinal Schönborn, who is personally active in crisis areas in order to give people help.