This impressive explosion of joy took place in Latakia, اللاذقية, on the coast of Syria (the same region the ruling Alawite Assad family is from, incidentally).
This next clip is from Israeli late night television:
(be forewarned, this bit's pretty offensive)
Lastly, I share this clip of my favorite apparition and stigmatist, Myrna Nazour, from Soufanieh, near Damascus:
(this, the first installment in a 30 something part series, will give you the basic gist of the story)
Myrna of course (of course!) receives the stigmata every year at Easter.
When I was at DLI, one of my teachers, an Orthodox Christian woman from Basra, Iraq, gave me a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Soufanieh, which as that clip notes in the original bleeds oil. The events surrounding this icon and Myrna are known as the "Miracle of Damascus." It's an ecumenical phenomenon.. Myrna is Catholic but her husband is Orthodox, and my impression is that the apparition is hugely popular throughout the Arab world, amongst both Orthodox and Catholics.
The image:
One of my favorite icons, incidentally.
In any case, Our Lady of Soufanieh and Myrna both preach unity amongst the Catholic and Orthodox, and peace with the Muslims. One of main the reasons I dig it.
Anyway, just to let you all know, Syria ain't Kansas. Just a late newsflash from Damascus..
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