For some 350 Christian children in Syria's war-ravaged city of Aleppo, there is light amid the darkness and there is still hope amid the bombings and killings happening all around them.
The children, aged 3 to 15 years old, are studying at the Vacation Bible School (VBS), the Catholic News Agency reports. They come from both Catholic and Orthodox families, according to Father Firas Lutfi, the priest in charge of the school at Saint Francis Roman rite parish in Aleppo.
VBS is a specialised form of religious education focusing on children. Churches usually hold the week-long events during the summer.
Father Lutfi said despite the ravages of war, the children study, play and make friends just like other children in more peaceful countries.
"We're not afraid because every day we challenge the bombs and death with our joy of living," he told Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference.
Father Lutfi said the school was set up to serve "a light for a martyr city of the Syrian civil war."
He said the children study under the motto "Be merciful as our Father is merciful" and are taught to pray for their country and for the conversion of the jihadists.
This year, the Pro Terra Sancta Association, the non-profit, non-governmental organisation serving the Custody of the Holy Land, asked Italian parishes to hold similar Vacation Bible School as a work of mercy so the Syrian children feel they are not alone.
The organisers hope that through this initiative, Italian children will learn what life is like for Christians in the Middle East.
Father Lutfi welcomed the call for the holding of a similar school in Italy, saying "we need this communion with you."
Father Ibrahim Alsbagh, the pastor at Saint Francis church, said despite the harsh realities of war in Aleppo, Christians can still find joy by being together and sharing their experiences and friendship with one another in the name of Jesus.
More than 250,000 people have died in the Syrian civil war, which has displaced millions of people.
