Interview with Abuna Jihad at Deir Mar Musa

Volunteers and members of Relief & Reconciliation (R&R) spent this Easter holiday in Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi in Syria, the monastery our co-founder, Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, rebuilt and re-invested. We interviewed the successor of Paolo as head of the monastery, Father Jihad Youssef, who shares his reflections on celebrating the first Easter after the fall of the Assad regime.

Despite describing Syria as “economically destroyed” and “socially divided,” he maintains hope for resurrection. “Syria is in rubbles,” he says, “but these rubbles can be removed” through the united efforts of all Syrians. Abuna Jihad calls for honest international support and identifies economic stability as the key priority for rebuilding the nation. He also gave us important orientations for the work of our association.