{"id":10865,"date":"2015-06-10T06:08:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T06:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/christians-belong-in-middle-east-antioch-patriarchs-say-in-call-for-peace-96128\/"},"modified":"2015-06-10T06:08:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T06:08:00","slug":"christians-belong-in-middle-east-antioch-patriarchs-say-in-call-for-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/06\/christians-belong-in-middle-east-antioch-patriarchs-say-in-call-for-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians belong in Middle East, Antioch patriarchs say in call for peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Damascus, Syria, Jun 10, 2015 \/ 12:08 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The five Christian patriarchs of Antioch met in Syria on Monday, calling for peace in the Syrian civil war while reaffirming that Christians have a place in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\tThe Christian leaders described themselves as an authentic people of the land, who are \u201cdeeply rooted in its earth that was watered by the sweat of our fathers and grandfathers, and we confirm more than ever that we are staying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe do not condemn those that choose to leave, but we remind Christians that steadfastness in faith often entails a great deal of tribulation,\u201d they said in a statement following the June 8 meeting. \u201cWe call on everyone who claims to have an interest in our fate to help us to remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe five Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch attended the meeting, held in Damascus at the headquarters of the local Greek Orthodox archdiocese. The apostolic nuncio to Syria also attended, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n

\tThe patriarchs are Gregory III Laham (Melkite Greek Catholic), Bechara Rai (Maronite), Ignatius III Younan (Syriac Catholic), John X Yazigi (Greek Orthodox), and Ignatius Aphrem II (Syriac Orthodox).<\/p>\n

\tThe annual meeting is normally held in Lebanon, but the churches agreed to meet in Damascus so as to reassure all Christians of the region, according to Asia News.<\/p>\n

\tThe Syrian civil war and the conflict in Iraq have caused massive casualties and life disruptions for Muslims and Christians alike. Millions of Iraqi and Syrian refugees have been displaced from their homes.<\/p>\n

\tThe rise of the Islamic State has also threatened many Christians and Muslims.<\/p>\n

\tThe Christian patriarchs of Antioch urged a political settlement of the Syrian. They called on Syrians to be committed to Syrian unity and backed \u201cthe right of Syrians to determine freely their own future without foreign interference,\u201d as well as a \u201cpolitical settlement of the Syrian crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe patriarchs told the international community \u201cto take its responsibility and to stop the wars in our land.\u201d They stressed the need for peace and advocated the return of those who have been abducted or displaced.<\/p>\n

\tThey also called for better relations with Muslims. Any extremist forms of Islam must be countered by teaching \u201ca culture of openness, peace and freedom of belief,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\tThey also noted the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the Arab world, and the \u201cdouble standards\u201d of the international community.<\/p>\n

\tThe statement encouraged Lebanese to be loyal to Lebanon, and to work for the election of a president. Lebanon\u2019s presidency has been vacant since May 2014, due in large part to political divisions over the Syrian war.
\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Damascus, Syria, Jun 10, 2015 \/ 12:08 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The five Christian patriarchs of Antioch met in Syria on Monday, calling for peace in the Syrian civil war while reaffirming that Christians have a place in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\tThe Christian le…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-middle-east-africa"],"yoast_head":"\nChristians belong in Middle East, Antioch patriarchs say in call for peace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Damascus, Syria, Jun 10, 2015 \/ 12:08 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The five Christian patriarchs of Antioch met in Syria on Monday, calling for peace in the Syrian civil war while reaffirming that Christians have a place in the Middle East. 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