Patriarchs of Syrian churches speak on increasing violence

(ROC) - His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi, and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate issued a statement concerning the escalation of the situation in Syria.

The Christian leaders call the air strikes, carried out on 14 April 2018 against a number of facilities in the Syrian territory, a brutal assault by the USA, France and the UK on Syria.

“This brutal aggression is a clear violation of the international laws and the UN Charter, because it is an unjustified assault on a sovereign country, member of the UN,” the Patriarchs of the Christian Churches in Syria state and add with great sadness that “this assault comes from powerful countries to which Syria did not cause any harm in any way.”

“The allegations of the USA and other countries that the Syrian army is using chemical weapons and that Syria is a country that owns and uses this kind of weapon, is a claim that is unjustified and unsupported by sufficient and clear evidence,” the authors of the statement emphasize and note that the air strike against Syria carried out on April 14, undermines the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry.

According to the Christian leaders of Syria, the aggression “destroys the chances for a peaceful political solution and leads to escalation and more complications,” as well as “encourages the terrorist organizations and gives them momentum to continue in their terrorism.”

Patriarch John X of Antioch, Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II call upon the United Nations Security Council to play its role in bringing peace rather than contribute to escalation of wars.

“We call upon all churches in the countries that participated in the aggression, to fulfill their Christian duties, according to the teachings of the Gospel, and condemn this aggression and to call their governments to commit to the protection of international peace,” the statement reads.

The Patriarchs note that they “salute the courage, heroism and sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army which courageously protects Syria and provides security for its people.” “We pray for the souls of the martyrs and the recovery of the wounded,” the authors emphasize, “We are confident that the army will not bow before the external or internal terrorist aggressions; they will continue to fight courageously against terrorism until every inch of the Syrian land is cleansed from terrorism. We, likewise, commend the brave stand of countries which are friendly to the Syria and its people. We offer our prayers for the safety, victory, and deliverance of Syria from all kinds of wars and terrorism.” As the document states, the Christian leaders “pray for peace in Syria and throughout the world, and call for strengthening the efforts of the national reconciliation for the sake of protecting the country and preserving the dignity of all Syrians.”