Patriarch John X Yazegi visits Aleppo to check on the people affected by the earthquake

Youhanna X Yazegi, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, arrived this morning in the city of Aleppo to inspect the conditions of the people affected by the earthquake and to visit the stricken areas.

Patriarch Youhanna said in a statement: “Our visit is a natural reaction to stand by our people in Aleppo in their ordeal as a result of the earthquake that claimed lives and left many people homeless and affected, so we wanted to be with our good people as a sign of love and solidarity, and we believe in the return of everything to its normal situation so that Aleppo rises again from its afflictions”.

“We pray that God will comfort the hearts of all, have mercy on the dead,and heal the wounded,” the patriarch added.

For his part, the Secretary of the Aleppo Governorate Council, George Bakhash, representing the governor, Hussein Ahmad Diab, pointed to the importance of the Patriarch’s visit to Aleppo at this time and the moral motivation this visit constitutes for the people of the city as they try to redtor what was destroyed by the earthquake.

Bakhash explained: The visit of His Beatitude the Patriarch carries a word of healing and condolence to the families of the victims and will constitute a motive for us to continue confronting  the repercussions of this tragedy.

Father Gabriel Azar, a priest of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Prophet Elias in Aleppo, said that the visit of His Beatitude the Patriarch represents moral support and a prayer that accompanies the people of Aleppo in their ordeal to overcome it with one hand and with the endeavors of all good will parties and the determination of the people of the city.

His Beatitude the Patriarch was received at the western entrance of Aleppo by Bishop Avram Maalouli, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and its dependencies, representatives of the Aleppo governorate and a number of clergymen.