Surviving amid chaos: Metropolitan Ephraim of Aleppo on faith, resilience, and the future of Syria

Communicating with him was not easy. Syria's state-run telecommunications network has collapsed. Metropolitan Ephraim of Aleppo and Alexandretta was, as Kathimerini learned, in a "secure location" in Aleppo. The advance of the jihadists evoked memories of the beginning of the Syrian civil war, when these forces had turned against the Greek Orthodox. Threatening messages against the prelate even appeared on social networks. Under these conditions of war precariousness, we contacted the metropolitan, who discussed what is happening in his city.

As Ephraim recounts, the warriors who have entered Aleppo have not proceeded to destroy and loot Christian monuments. "For the past week," he explains, "the militants have entered the city and taken control of it, and have now moved on to other Syrian cities. There are about 2,600 Greek Orthodox families in the area," adding that so far...