A hot meal, a shelter against the cold, a community to sustain hope. From the very first hour after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on the night of Feb. 5-6, the church opened its doors to those who saw everything crumble in an instant. Br BAHJAT KARAKACH, ofm Latin priest from Aleppo "We woke up around 4 a.m. to a strong earthquake tremor. We went downstairs. A lot of people fled from their houses, fled in the dark because there is no electricity. We welcomed people here in the church until morning; we celebrated Mass and opened the hall to welcome people and give them food." In Syria, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land are present with several friaries. In addition to Damascus and Aleppo, also in Lattakiah, and in the villages of Yakoubieh, Knayeh - where the most serious damage was recorded. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "The task of our friars is not only material but also human and spiritual. They are trying to do what they can to support people's morale. They themselves at times feel helpless, however, it is the strength of faith and the desire to give, which is part of our life, that sustains them and through them, the people." The Latin parish in Aleppo suffered some damage, the church tower lost some stones but Franciscans immediately took action to offer solidarity to those fleeing in the rain and cold, some still in their pajamas. The parish canteen, which was already serving about 1,200 meals a day to the poorest, now serves about 4,000. A reality managed thanks to the support of Associazione Pro Terra Sancta, which supports many realities of the Custody, and which launched an emergency fundraiser: GIACOMO PIZZI Pro Terra Sancta Association "Last night we hosted 500 people. We continue the first emergency, so the distribution of meals. We continue with doubled numbers from yesterday, we are at 3-4 thousand meals being distributed." The Aleppo community received a visit from Cardinal Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio to Syria, who wanted to bring a message of solidarity and also express the Pope's closeness. "It will be a test of humanity and we will be judged before history," the cardinal said, calling on the international community to "overcome political interests." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "I believe that at the international level a sense of humanity should prevail. The international community itself should have not the courage, but the intelligence to lift or at least suspend sanctions and favor any kind of aid toward Syria." Outside, people continue to dig day and night under the piles of rubble in the dwindling hope of finding survivors. Every person extracted alive is cause for rejoicing. In Aleppo, St. Louis Catholic Hospital, one of the facilities involved in Avsi's "Open Hospitals" project, is taking in many wounded. Sister Arcangela has been in Syria for more than 50 years. And she describes an increasingly dire situation: Sr ARCANGELA ORSETTI St. Louis Hospital Head "We were also very scared, we jumped out of bed to run into the hospital courtyard. We took in the first wounded coming in emergency and there we learned what had happened in the city. Unfortunately, there are so many dead and wounded and so many refugees. This is life. We are here as a presence to be able to relieve suffering, to be able to encourage, to give hope to those who are losing it because of the situation we are experiencing." Read More