Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus conveys to Patriarch of Antioch a message of support for the Syrian people
On March 9, 2025, on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the head of the Patriarchate of Antioch, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Great Antioch and All the East, celebrated a service at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Maryamiya (Damascus region). His Beatitude was concelebrated by a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), who conveyed to the Patriarch of Antioch a message from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressing support for the position of the Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. This is reported by the ROC DECR Communication Service.
The bloody events taking place on the Syrian coast have led to numerous casualties and injuries among civilians and security forces. Most of the victims were innocent and unarmed civilians, women and children, His Beatitude testified: “Personal life is violated, people’s dignity is trampled upon, and the chants and slogans used sow only discord, lead to inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflict, destabilizing civil peace. In many cities, towns and villages, houses were burned and personal property looted. The attackers targeted the areas where Alawites and Christians live, killing many innocent Christians.”
His Beatitude appealed to the President to immediately stop the massacres by restoring a sense of security and stability to all Syrians, regardless of their religious affiliation: “We urge you to strive for national reconciliation, civil peace, peaceful and dignified coexistence of all segments of society, all religious communities, respect for freedoms as the highest value in a society based on the principle of citizenship.”
In his turn, Archimandrite Philip congratulated His Beatitude Patriarch John on the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy and conveyed to him a message from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressing support for the position of the Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. For his part, His Beatitude Patriarch John conveyed words of greetings and gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for his continued support of the Antiochian Orthodox Church.
As reported, on March 8, 2025, the leaders of the main Christian denominations in Syria, including the Patriarchate of Antioch, issued a joint statement in connection with the religious and ethnic cleansing carried out in Syria by radical Islamic groups. In a joint statement, the heads of the Syrian Christian churches strongly condemned the impunity of the violence taking place in the country’s cities, calling on the interim government to stop the bloodshed and return to the fragile peace in Syria. The statement was signed by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, the head of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ignatius Ephraim II of Antioch and All the East, and Patriarch Youssef I Absi of the Melkite Church.
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