In war-torn Aleppo, Syria, the Syriac Catholic patriarch proclaimed that "the will of life has overcome death; hope and security have overcome despair and chaos. Our people have overcome."
Celebrating Mass on September 9 at the inauguration and rededication of the restored Our Lady of the Assumption Syriac Catholic Cathedral, Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said, "We will always be people of hope and life."
The cathedral's inaugural Mass, filled with worshippers, was attended by Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican nuncio to Syria; bishops of other Christian churches; and representatives of Aleppo civil authorities.
