Remembering Father Frans Van der Lugt

Commemorating the first anniversary of the tragic death of Fr Frans Van der Lugt SJ, the Irish Jesuit Missions have produced a documentary to celebrate his life and love for the Syrian people.

Fr Frans, a trained psychotherapist, came to Syria in 1966 and worked for decades to bring people of different religions and walks of life together to foster dialogue and unity.

He lived out his calling to be with Syrians of all creeds in their moments of suffering and when the war broke, 75-year-old Fr Frans vowed to remain living in Homs in solidarity with whoever chose to stay in the old city.

Although not directly part of JRS, as a Jesuit priest Fr Frans was a source of inspiration to all young people who form the majority of JRS volunteers in Homs, Damascus and Aleppo and as JRS International Director Peter Balleis S.J. said at the time of his passing:

He did not only preach about love and reconciliation but he lived it out every day – in humility and with compassion for all – until the very end.

This documentary showcases how right up until his untimely death, Fr Frans continued to be a pillar of support for all the people of Homs and Syria:

 Update on Conflict in Syria

Meanwhile, the conflict rages on and has now entered its fifth year leaving an estimated 220,000 killed, more than 1 million injured and 12.2 million in need of urgent life-saving assistance.

Nawras Sammour SJ, JRS Syria Country Director, recently spoke out at the fourth anniversary of the war and explained:

In all honesty, it feels that we were closer to a solution in 2012/2013 than we are now in 2015. Both the beginning, and the end of this madness are two points so far out of sight that we can only see the darkness that stretches endlessly before us. Syrians feel more hopeless and divided than ever before. We feel simultaneously abandoned and attacked by everyone.

Powerful actors within the international community must set aside national interests for the common good, pushing for the cessation of violence against civilians and humanitarian workers by all parties and paving the way for serious political dialogue.

In Ireland, a review of the present unsatisfactory resettlement commitment is still urgently required in order to ensure an appropriate response to the worst refugee crisis in nearly 20 years.