"The economy is finished, there are no jobs, the money is devalued, commodities costs are way up," he said. "There has been great generosity from around the world, but there needs to be twice, three times as much aid."  

Hétu attended a closed-door meetings in Rome in January at which Pope Francis summoned international experts to determine how the Holy See should respond to the Syrian catastrophe. He heard that the conflict is so complex it represents a new type of crisis for the 21st Century, one that defies easy answers,

"It's beyond anything we have seen before," Hétu said. "Not only are various countries involved, but also the conflict is tribal and religious. There are Alawites, Shi'ites, Sunni and, within the Sunni, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist jihadists. Many of the jihadist groups are now fighting each other."

Both Christians and Muslims have "lost confidence in their leaders," Hétu said. "The Pope is the only moral authority who can help this conflict."

About 2.5 million Syrians are refugees and about 6.5 million are displaced within the country of 22 million people, he said.  

"There needs to be a worldwide mobilization to really aid people outside and inside Syria," Hétu said.

"The human cost of this internal war is unbearable for the international community. This winter, Syrians are facing famine in many parts of the country.

"A ceasefire needs to happen now. Then appropriate international and local aid can come to the aid of people who are suffering immensely."