After 5 years of war, the announcement of a possible “ceasefire agreement” in Syria has not gone very far in instilling any hope in a population that, day by day, watches the situation deteriorate. Car bombs continue to sow death among civilians, the increasing air strikes most often target even humanitarian facilities while, on the battlefields, people continue to die. Not to mention the loss of employment, housing and the ongoing and now unbearable power and water outages; but life must go on. In a culture where the family is so central, they also suffer as they watch their relatives starting to leave for unkown destinations abroad, with no hope of ever seeing them again. And for those who remain, there is the agonising dilemna of whether to leave or to stay in a land where they are under immediate risk of death and without prospects for the future. But this is precisely the land that Italian focolarina, Maria Grazia Brusadelli, is heading for. Below is our interview with her. What prompts you to leave the safety of Italy and go to such a place? “It’s something I’ve been feeling for months, almost like a second call from God, to spend my life for those who suffer, for those whose lives are in danger. I’d like it to be my personal response to the question we asked ourselves in the Movement about how to answer the appeal of Pope Francis to “go out” to the peripheries of the world. So I said to Jesus: ‘Send me.’ It seems that He accepted my willingness. When we spoke about it with one another, I was offered the opportunity of moving to the focolare in Damascus.” At the moment, it is probably the most “extreme” periphery. Now Maria Grazia is preparing her documents for the move and visiting her relatives to inform them of her decision. She would still have time to change her mind, since the reports of new hostilities. A few days ago there was news of a bomb being detonated at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Arat al Numan, leaving 8 dead and 40,000 people without medical care in an area of conflict. The killing of a young Caritas volunteer in Aleppo was also reported.   Maria Grazia, what effect do these news reports have on you? Are you having any second thoughts? “Absolutely not. It’s true, each tragic news report is like an arrow to the heart. But I’m not afraid. Even though I’m well aware of the risks, I don’t fear for myself. I think of the people living there, and I already want to be with them to share their pain, to bring them – at least by being there, since I don’t speak Arabic – a little bit of hope. I’d like to already be there to make them feel the support and the nearness of Focolare members around the world who pray for them every day that peace will return to Syria. The Syrians with whom we are in contact are very grateful for this global participation and for all that’s being done on the ground to alleviate their hardship. I’d also like to already be there to bring them the love and hope of the Church. I’ll have the opportunity to meet with the Holy Father before going, and so I’ll be able to give them a message from him. In Damascus there are three women focolarini waiting for me, and the men focolarini in Aleppo. They live in close communion with the people in Syria who have embraced the spirituality of unity, and there’s the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue that’s very much alive among the locals. Because the Focolare – wherever it is in the world – has the spirit of a family, both among the members and with everyone else.”