National Reconciliation Committee Visits Damascus Churches to Affirm Syrians’ National Unity

DAMASCUS, (ST) – In an initiative to affirm national unity among the Syrians, a delegation representing the People’s Assembly’s National Reconciliation Committee, visited a number of patriarchates and archbishoprics in Damascus to express solidarity with the kidnapped Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo Paul Yaziji and Yohanna Ibrahim as well as the abducted nuns of Tecla Monastery in Maaloula of Damascus countryside.

The delegation said that thanks to the Syrian people’s awareness about the nature of the aggression which has been targeting their homeland and to their steadfastness in the face of the Zionist-Western scheme, the conspiracy was foiled and the values of fraternity, amity and tolerance were enhanced among components of the Syrian society aiming to confront the extremist Wahhabi takfiri mindset and the fragmentation attempts.

Acts of kidnapping and abduction have nothing to do with Islam

“The kidnapping of the two archbishops and the abduction of the nuns are inhuman acts which have nothing to do with Islam,” stressed members of the delegation, pointing out that such crimes aim at distorting the image of Islam to serve foreign agendas.

Patriarch Youhanna X Yaziji of Antioch and All East for the Greek Orthodox, has asserted that “the values of tolerance, amity and fraternity will continue to be strong among the Syrians.

“Attacking the different worshipping places in Syria targets the Moslems and the Christians alike,” Yaziji said, urging people of the homeland to adopt dialogue as a guarantee to preserve their national unity.

Other archbishops and metropolitans hailed the deeply-rooted state of religious and social coexistence in Syria, calling for maintaining the social diversity in the country as a source of strength.

For his part, Head of the National Reconciliation Committee at the people’s Assembly Omar Osi said that the abduction of the two Aleppo archbishops and the Nuns of Tecla Monastery will strengthen the Syrian people’s determination to cling to their national unity and to confront the unjust war waged against their homeland.

Syrians stand side by side to confront terrorism

“The Syrians from all spectra of society stood side by side to fight the foreign-backed terrorism targeting their country and to keep Syria united,” Osi added.

Earlier in Beirut, Patriarch Gregorios III Lahham of Antioch and All East for Greek Catholic has affirmed that pressuring the countries which support armed groups in Syria and the issue of holding the international conference on Syria (Geneva-2) are main issues in the coming era.

He reiterated his call for the immediate release of the abducted Tecla monastery nuns and for their safe return to the church.

H. Mustafa