The Archbishop of Aleppo has called for intervention by the West to halt the "monstrosities" being perpetrated in Syria and Iraq.
In an impassioned message sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Most Rev Jean-Clement Jeanbart described how his archbishopric had come under fire. No one had been hurt in the latest bombardment, he said. However, five of his 12 Melkite Greek Catholic churches have been damaged in the last two years.
He said: "ISIS, which has already killed thousands in the region, is terrifying the faithful in Aleppo. After [attacks on] Maloula, Mosul, Idleb and Palmyra, what is the West waiting for before it intervenes? What are the great nations waiting for before they put a halt to these monstrosities?"
He called for "all those with compassion for the innocent raise their voice with us and call on civilized countries to take action to bring about peace".
Aleppo has been at the centre of the conflict between forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad and has seen some of the worst fighting in the conflict. Civilian suffering has been intense, with large parts of the city reduced to rubble. The violence has intensified in the last few weeks and thousands of people have become refugees. Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo reported last month that Aleppo's 250,000 Christians had dwindled to below 100,000.
Archbishop Jeanbart wrote to ACN: "Allow me to stand by numerous families in Aleppo who are in mourning. Because of this ugly and barbarous war, they have lost so many loved ones, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters and cherished children."
He stressed the trauma caused by people losing homes, and livelihoods destroyed in the conflict, saying: "Insecurity is wearing them down, depressing them, adding more each day to their anxiety and sadness."
He added: "Allow me to be bitter when comforting countless parents mortified by the deprivation that robs their children of the basic necessities needed to promote dignity and the ability to grow up healthy."
An Amnesty International report last month said that citizens of Aleppo were suffering "unthinkable atrocities". Government forces have been using barrel bombs on public areas and the vast majority of victims have been civilians, including many children.
Philip Luther, director of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme, said: "Today, the international community has turned its back on Aleppo's civilians in a cold-hearted display of indifference to an escalating human tragedy.
"Continued inaction is being interpreted by perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a sign they can continue to hold the civilians of Aleppo hostage without fear of any retribution."
