{"id":543,"date":"2012-07-14T23:28:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-14T23:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/franciscans-in-syria-call-for-dialogue-not-weapons\/"},"modified":"2012-07-14T23:28:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-14T23:28:00","slug":"franciscans-in-syria-call-for-dialogue-not-weapons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/07\/franciscans-in-syria-call-for-dialogue-not-weapons\/","title":{"rendered":"Franciscans in Syria call for dialogue not weapons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Damascus, Syria, Jul 14, 2012 \/ 05:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The Franciscans in Syria are calling upon foreign powers to stop sending arms to the country after reports that over 200 civilians have been massacred in the village of Tremseh, potentially the bloodiest single incident of the Syrian conflict so far.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt is a tragedy, the news is confusing, truth is the first victim,\u201d Franciscan Father Romualdo Fernandez, Director of the Ecumenical Centre of Tabbaleh, said on July 13 in Damascus.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIf foreign powers continue to arm and finance the warring parties, the war will continue and victims will increase. This is not the way of peace: the road to peace is through dialogue,\u201d he told the Vatican\u2019s Fides news agency.<\/p>\n

\tThe armed revolt against Syria\u2019s President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 and has since claimed over 10,000 lives, according to the latest U.N. estimates.<\/p>\n

\tReports as to what happened in the village of Tremseh are conflicting. United Nations observers have confirmed that the village in the western Hama province was subject to heavy fighting, including helicopters, tanks and heavy artillery on Thursday, July 12.<\/p>\n

\tOpposition activists claim that over 200 civilians were killed when the Syrian army bombarded the village followed by an attack from pro-government militiamen. The Syrian regime claims the death toll is nearer to 50 and blame \u201carmed terrorist groups\u201d rather than government troops for the deaths.<\/p>\n

\tThe village of Tremseh is predominantly Sunni Muslim but is surrounded by numerous Alawite villages, the religious sect loyal to their co-religionist President Assad.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis is in violation of the government\u2019s undertaking to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centers,\u201d said U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in a July 13 statement.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI condemn these atrocities in the strongest possible terms. It is yet another reminder of the nightmare and the horrors Syrian civilians are being subjected to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAnnan will now travel to Moscow for a July 16 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier this week the Kremlin confirmed it would continue to honor existing arms contracts with the Syrian regime, which means a ship loaded with attack helicopters will make its way to Syria.<\/p>\n

\tFr. Fernandez believes that the \u201chigh road out of this crisis\u201d lies in talks between all sides, since \u201cSyria needs dialogue not weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe ask everyone to agree to sit around a table and start a confrontation, which can prevent violence, deaths, killings and massacres, which for too long have been steeping our country in blood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tBut regardless of what happens in the coming months, Fr. Fernandez stated that the Franciscans \u201cwill stay in Syria, at the service of the Gospel\u201d to help \u201cthe population who is suffering, Christians and Muslims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe were there yesterday, today and we will be there tomorrow, in peacetime and in wartime, in dark times and bright times. In the certainty that the Lord wants us here and he will take care of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damascus, Syria, Jul 14, 2012 \/ 05:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Franciscans in Syria are calling upon foreign powers to stop sending arms to the country after reports that over 200 civilians have been massacred in the village of Tremseh, potentially the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-middle-east-africa","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFranciscans in Syria call for dialogue not weapons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Damascus, Syria, Jul 14, 2012 \/ 05:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- The Franciscans in Syria are calling upon foreign powers to stop sending arms to the country after reports that over 200 civilians have been massacred in the village of Tremseh, potentially the...\" \/>\n<meta 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