Georgian Patriarch sends message of support to the Orthodox Church of Antioch

On March 14, 2025, the Primate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia, sent a message to Patriarch John of Antioch expressing support for the Antiochian Orthodox Church in connection with the growing violence against Christians and other religious groups in Syria. This is reported by the official website of the Patriarchate of Antioch.

It is reported that Patriarch John X of Antioch and all the East received a message of solidarity from Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia. In his message, Catholicos Ilia II expressed the love and support of the Georgian Church for the Church of Antioch after the recent events on the Syrian coast. He reaffirmed that the Georgian Church stands with the Church of Antioch, united in prayer, asking God to send His spirit of peace to the Middle East.

“We unite our hearts with yours in prayer to the Father of the worlds, asking Him to care for your people with the light of His peace,” – the message says.

As reported, on March 8, 2025, the leaders of the main Christian denominations in Syria, including the Patriarchate of Antioch, published a joint appeal 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.