Patriarch Aphrem II inaugurates memorial for victims of Ottoman genocide against Syriacs

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE – Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East and Holy Synod of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, inaugurated on Sunday a garden, in al-Qashla area in Damascus, commemorating the genocide committed by Ottomans against Syriacs.

Patriarch Aphrem II said what is currently taking place in Syria is similar to the genocide committed 100 years ago, adding that “We commemorate the genocide not seeking vengeance or hatred, on the contrary we seek tolerance and forgiveness because persons who cannot remember are unable to forgive.”

Earlier on Saturday, Patriarch Aphrem II inaugurated a memorial in Maaret Sednaya in Damascus Countryside dedicated to the victims of the genocide committed by Ottomans against Syriacs.

 The genocide in question took place in 1915 after WWI, when troops under the command of the Ottoman empire waged a series of operations targeting Syriac (Assyrian) civilians and other groups, claiming thousands of innocent lives and displacing thousands more. This genocide was known as “Sayfo.”

In a press statement, Patriarch Aphrem II said that this day is dedicated to the martyrs of the Sayfo genocide who were killed for their commitment to their faith and identity, and that the ones who committed that genocide and the Armenian genocide continue to commit heinous atrocities and acts of murder against the Syrian people today, but they will never succeed in silencing the truth, and eventually the culture of life will triumph over the culture of death.

The Patriarch prayed for the souls of the martyrs, for the return of abductees, and for peace in Syria.

The event was attended by Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi, Melkite Greek Orthodox Patriarch Gregory III Laham, and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan, in addition to representatives of other religious figures.

SANA