Dean of the Theological School “St. John of Damascus”, Balamada, Archimandrite Jacob Khalilhe was sure that something would fall on his head. “We rocked so hard Lebanon. But what we feared finally happened elsewhere. Antioch, Alexandretta, Aleppo. It was something terrible.” says “K” with shock still evident in his voice.

News from Antioch they are dramatic. “Too many people died, historic churches destroyed.” The cell phone of the Patriarch of Antioch, Mr. Ioannis, who happened to be in Balamad these days (the residence of the Patriarchate in Damascus) does not stop ringing. His pack constantly sends him news and pictures of disasters. There are many Arabic-speaking Greek Orthodox who live in Antioch and throughout the Hatay region – they are considered part of the city’s Roman diaspora – while the area is dotted with important Greek Orthodox churches.

“It so happened that all the primates of the parishes of Antioch, Alexandretta, Mirsini were here the day before, in Balamad,” says Father Iakovos Khalil. “They left, returned home, and a few hours later there was an earthquake. They themselves are fine, but they have lost their own… And here at the university, three students of the theological faculty come from the affected parishes. Our students, our alumni, our friends, all rush to the rescue.”

From the first moment, the Patriarchate took the initiative to coordinate aid. “A great earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred in southern Turkey and Syria,” began the message of His Beatitude Patriarch Bishop Ioannis of Antioch. “This unprecedented earthquake resulted in great loss of human lives and buildings. This also affected our orphanages and our churches in Alexandretta, Mirsini and Antioch. We inform you about this misfortune that befell our children in Turkey, and ask you to lift up your prayers for the repose of the souls of the dead, healing the wounded and helping the injured and homeless. We also ask your love, while waiting for the inventory of the damage and the organization of relief efforts, to take the initiative so that action is taken in your metropolises, expressing love and solidarity for our suffering brothers in this dear place of the Church of Antioch. May God protect you from all troubles.

According to Father Iakovos Khalil, the charitable non-governmental organization of the Patriarchate of Antioch is perhaps the most important in all of Syria, and already 4,000 of its employees are working on the ground, offering assistance to the victims. In addition to the northeastern regions of Turkey, parishes also suffered in the southern regions of Syria, in Aleppo, Hama and Laodicea. The Patriarchate has set up a relief organization with the mission of immediate response and assistance to the victims by opening special bank accounts. “Any contribution, no matter how small, can alleviate the suffering of many.”