Aleppo, Syria, August 25, 2017
Photo: foma.ru A humanitarian shipment of 6.6 tons of food and 3.3 tons of medical supplies, as well as children’s toys, and school kits has been delivered to Syria by the Russian Federation’s Presidential Council for Cooperation With Religious Organizations, the secretary for Inter-Christian Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov) reported to RIA-Novosti.
“The children of liberated Aleppo have been able to receive necessary gifts for the beginning of the school year,” the hieromonk said of the aid arriving on Tuesday. According to the secretary, about 300 school kits were delivered in addition to the food and medicine.
Photo: foma.ru Half of the humanitarian shipment was delivered to Aleppo on Thursday, with the distribution taking place in the city’s hospital for children with blood diseases. The children received a wide range of medicines and school supplies. Aleppo governor Hussein Diyab was present at the event, realized with the help of the staff for the Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria. The other part of the humanitarian shipment will be distributed in areas of de-escalation.
Fr. Stefan (Igumnov) noted that the Syrian side has a principled position to distribute the humanitarian aid regardless of religious affiliation. The Council for Cooperation’s first batch of aid was delivered to Syria in June.
The largest contributions came from the Russian Orthodox Church, the main curator of the project. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill blessed and urged Moscow parishes not to give him flowers for his name’s day on May 24, but instead to give the money to the fundraiser for the stricken people of Syria. He made the same plea last year before his 70th birthday, asking parish rectors to donate funds to the St. Alexis Central Clinical Hospital, instead of presenting him with flowers. About $44,000 were donated and used to purchase medical equipment which will enable an uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen for artificial ventilating lungs during surgical operations and in resuscitation units.
