Syrian Christians hold first service in years in war-ravaged church

Christians in Syria held their first prayer service in six years on Saturday inside the war-ravaged church of St. Mary in the city of Deir Ezzor.

The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Aphrem II, led Saturday's service at the damaged church, with stones, strips of wire, pieces of paper and remnants of rockets scattered across the floor.

The congregation of less than two dozen worshippers held thin white candles under pockmarked archways as they relished the service, which was also attended by Muslim clerics.

With the church's altar badly damaged, Aphrem had to preside over the service from behind a small table draped in a white cloth.

"It's an indescribable feeling for us to pray in a nearly-destroyed church, which serves as a consolation for our hearts and a message of hope to the people of the city to come back and take part in building it anew," the patriarch said, according to Agence France-Presse.

It has been estimated that 3,000 Christians resided in Deir Ezzor prior to the uprising in 2011. Fighting has gripped the city since part of it was captured by rebels in 2012, and it became worse when the Islamic State grew in popularity there in 2014.

Maurice Amseeh, a local bishop, encouraged Christians to return to the city. "The important thing now is for life to come back - for Deir Ezzor's residents and Christians to come back to it," he told worshippers.

The entire city was captured by Syrian troops in November, and residents have slowly begun to arrive.

Despite the years of clashes, some have decided to stay in the city, such as 31-year-old Shadi Tuma.

"The hard times that Deir Ezzor went through pushed the families to leave, but there was a determination inside of me to stay in this city," he told AFP. "Deir Ezzor will always have coexistence. Christians will always have a presence here," he added.

Most parts of the city are still uninhabitable, with destroyed buildings, irregular electricity service and lack of drinking water.

Sally Qassar, 40, said that she was soothed by the service, saying it was like a "new life" and that it gave her determination to return to Deir Ezzor and endure the poor provision of services and take part in rebuilding the city.

In late January, the minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali Ghanem, said that the government is keen on restoring life in Deir Ezzor to normal and continue the projects that have been started in the city.

During a work visit in the city on Jan. 28, Ghanem noted that 27 vital projects are currently underway.

The government ministers had also visited several schools that have been rehabilitated and inspected the works which have already been carried out as part of the efforts to put them into service soon.