Novena for Abuna Paolo

Prayers in solidarity with Syria from 21 till 29 July

International volunteers sit around a lamp on the rooftop of the Peace Centre in Bkarzla at night

During the 9 days leading to the second anniversary of Father Paolo Dall Oglio’s disappearance in Syria, on 29 July 2013, our international volunteers gathered every night on the rooftop of the R&R Peace Centre in Bkarzla for a moment of silence and meditation. Muslims, Christians and persons of other beliefs were united in their prayers and thoughts for Paolo and all other victims of dictatorship, war and hatred. In a form of novena, we were reading and discussing words from Paolo as well as other texts out of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim tradition.

Abbuna Paolo

The “novena” is a special form of prayer in the Christian tradition, counting the nine days of intercession between Ascension and Pentecost during which the followers of Christ were waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit. The gatherings at our Peace Centre shall not be understood as a religious service but as an invitation for individual prayers, meditations and thoughts, according to each persons faith or conviction. We are stressing this fact because we believe that interfaith dialogue must always respect the differences without denying what unites us.

Vigil in Beirut on 29 July 2016

The novena ended with a prayer vigil in front of the Jesuit church St Joseph in Beirut where Paolo had studied in the past. Together with Muslims and Christians from Syria, Lebanon and abroad, we were making our prayers public as a sign of hope for Paolo’s return and for peace in Syria. On this 29 July, we were joining the prayers of Pope Francis, of Paolo’s community and friends and of many other persons of good will around the globe. We are not giving up and we are crying out: “Free Abbuna Paolo! You are needed today more than ever.”

R&R Syria is born out of the spirit of Islamic-Christian friendship that has been lived by Father Paolo and his community for many years. Father Paolo himself is a close friend and a form of “godfather” to our NGO. For the sake of political neutrality, we decided together to be independent, but he actively supported us in our work and played a big role to guide us in our first year of establishment.

Please join us in our prayers and thoughts for his liberation and for justice and peace in Syria! You can find the texts of our novena below.