Aleppo, Northern Syria (SANA)- A grand Mass was held on Tuesday at the archaeological Brad village, northwest of Aleppo, commemorating the 16th centennial anniversary of St. Maroun's death, led by Maronite Archbishop of Aleppo Youssef Anis Abi-Aad.

The Mass was attended by former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Head of Change and Reform Bloc at the Lebanese Parliament Michel Aoun and former Lebanese Minister and current MP Suleiman Franjieh.

Aoun said "Today's meeting is a meeting with history…We, sons of St. Maroun, will say to those who seek clash among civilizations that civilizations won't clash, they interact to draw a better course for the development of humanity."

The Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Mario Zenari delivered a speech on the occasion conveying fraternal greetings of Pope Benedict XVI to President Bashar al-Assad and people of Syria.

He said "You, Syrians, can be proud of your religious pluralism, and it is our responsibility as Christians living in the Middle East to be a tool for bringing the human family together to secure justice, fraternity and peace in the region."  

A number of ministers, members of parliament, prominent Lebanese figures, Archbishop of Jerusalem in exile Hilarion Capucci, Apostolic Nuncia to Syria and Ambassadors of France and Lebanon to Syria in addition to religious and popular activities from Syria and Lebanon also attended the Mass. 

In a speech during the opening ceremony of the 16th centennial of St. Maroun's death which kicked off on Monday, Minister of Islamic Endowments (Awqaf) Mohammad Abdulsattar al-Sayyid pointed out that Arab Christians stood side by side since the dawn of Islam against those who targeted their home and nation, interacting with their Muslim brothers and standing by them in the face of colonialism, conspiracies and challenges that posed a threat to the Arab nation.

In turn, Maronite Archbishop of Aleppo Youssef Anis Abi-Aad said that fraternity is an actual fact in Syria that all citizens live in all aspects of life, thanking President Bashar al-Assad for his care about the project for showing the locations and sites related to St. Maroun and their historic legacy and his efforts for bolstering amity between the people of Syria and Lebanon.

He also lauded Syria's principled stances and its efforts for establishing peace in the region.

In a statement to the press, former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud stressed that the strength of Syria and Lebanon lies in cooperation and coordination between the two countries regarding various issues, affirming that this event sends a clear message of coexistence between the two friendly peoples.

For his part, the former Lebanese minister and current MP Suleiman Franjieh underlined the importance of celebrating St. Maroun's 16th centennial, saying "we are proud of our relation with Syria and we support it in all its political stances."

The one-year long festivity includes exhibitions, symposiums, lectures, musical evenings, religious recitations related to St. Maroun and the archeological sites of Brad village. Syrian and Lebanese writers and artists are taking part in the festivity.

For his part, Governor of Aleppo Ali Ahmad Mansoura pointed out that a study was prepared for a planning project for Brad village.

Engineer Alia al-Hussein said the project aims to develop Brad village and to protect its archeological sites. She added that once the project is completed, Brad site will be declared an archeological park and an international museum as it was nominated to be among three sites selected to join UNESCO's World Heritage List this year.

History researcher Abdullah Hajjar said "The archeological sites in Brad village date back to the period between the 2nd and 7th centuries A.D."

"The most important monument in the region is St. Julian's Church, the largest Basilica church in northern Syria dating back to the end of the 4th century and the beginning of 5th century A.D. A new section was added to the church at the beginning of the 5th century to include the remains of St. Maroun who died in 410 A.D.," he added.

Haifa Said / Manal Ismael / H. Sabbagh / Mazen /Ghossoun