{"id":570,"date":"2012-07-18T18:05:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/patriarch-hopes-lebanon-papal-visit-will-bring-peace-to-syria\/"},"modified":"2012-07-18T18:05:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-18T18:05:00","slug":"patriarch-hopes-lebanon-papal-visit-will-bring-peace-to-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/07\/patriarch-hopes-lebanon-papal-visit-will-bring-peace-to-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriarch hopes Lebanon papal visit will bring peace to Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Rome, Italy, Jul 18, 2012 \/ 12:05 pm (CNA<\/a>).- Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church,\u00a0said he hopes Pope Benedict's visit to Lebanon in September will bring peace and reconciliation to Syria.<\/p>\n

\tIn a statement sent to the Vatican-based Fides news agency, the\u00a0Eastern Catholic leader\u00a0said Syrians \u201cneed the support of the Pope,\u201d noting that the upcoming trip \u201cwill be of special help for Syria, so that the conflict may cease and the country may flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFor this we ask the help of all our Christian brothers in the Middle East and around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPatriarch Gregorios reaffirmed the Church\u2019s commitment to promote dialogue and reconciliation amid the conflict that continues to cause bloodshed in the Middle Eastern country.<\/p>\n

\tFor this reason, he rejected the \u201ccampaign against the pastors of the Churches of Syria,\u201d who are accused of colluding with the regime. He underscored \u201cthe credibility, transparency, loyalty and objectivity of the Pastors who are in constant contact with priests, monks, nuns and lay people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe pastors \u201cpromote the call for dialogue and reconciliation, the rejection of violence,\u201d he said. \u201cThey work to protect the safety of civilians in the ongoing conflict, so as not to expose them to danger, to avoid becoming targets of attacks of one faction or another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe patriarch also said that there is no conflict in Syria between Christians and Muslims and that the victims are civilians of every religion who are enduring anarchy, insecurity and the increase in violence due to the arms trade.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cChristians live the same dangers, but they are the weakest link. Helpless, they are the most vulnerable to exploitation, extortion, kidnapping, abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cDespite this, there is no conflict between Christians and Muslims. There is no persecution, and Christians are not targeted as such, but are among the victims of chaos and lack of security,\u201d the patriarch said.<\/p>\n

\tSyrian Catholics\u00a0\u201chave raised their voices, demanding reforms, freedom, democracy, fight corruption, support for development, freedom of speech,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cToday we ask to stop the cycle of killings and destruction, especially against civilians in need, of all faiths, who in reality are the real victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Church has always shunned sectarianism, without taking sides, and pointing to the ethical and evangelical values.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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

Rome, Italy, Jul 18, 2012 \/ 12:05 pm (CNA).- Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, said he hopes Pope Benedict's visit to Lebanon in September will bring peace and reconciliation to Syria.<\/p>\n

\tIn a statement sent t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriarch hopes Lebanon papal visit will bring peace to Syria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rome, Italy, Jul 18, 2012 \/ 12:05 pm (CNA).- Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, said he hopes Pope Benedict's visit to Lebanon in September will bring peace and reconciliation to Syria. 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