Patriarch Yazigi: We All Live in Syria as a Family
DAMASCUS, (ST) – Syria was and will continue to be the land of peace and coexistence thanks to the awareness of its people, Patriarch John X Yazigi of Antioch and All East for Greek Orthodox has said.
In an exclusive interview with “Russia Today” Channel on Tuesday, Patriarch Yazigi stressed that dialogue must be the common language for all parties to attain the hoped-for settlement in Syria.
“We Christians, Moslems and other sects of the Syrian society, live in Syria as a family. This is the way we were brought up in this homeland,” said the patriarch, describing the ongoing circumstances Syria is passing through as a “cloud” that will hopefully go as soon as possible to bring brightness back to Syria, the cradle of civilization, culture and coexistence.
Regarding concerns over the future of Christians in Syria, the patriarch said that the Syrian Christians adhere to every inch of their homeland and they have no concerns.
“We are from this country and we share with all people in this homeland the country’s culture and civilization, so we are staying,” Yazigi added.
He stressed the importance of dialogue as a language that must be adopted by all parties in Syria to reach peace.
“Dialogue, coexistence, accepting others as they are and sitting to dialogue table are the goal of all peace-loving parties, the patriarch said, pointing out that the Orthodox Church is currently working hard to achieve this goal as soon as possible.
Yazigi, who expressed his rejection of all kinds of violence and killing for any reason, urged the international community to be honest and credible when claiming human rights protection or when adopting political resolutions.
“We urge decision makers in the international community to contribute effectively to attaining peace in Syria and implementing Geneva statement so as to reach real peace,” the patriarch said.
Concluding the interview, the patriarch addressed the Syrian people by saying “Our awareness is the main weapon to face the critical circumstances we are experiencing, so let amity, dialogue and peace help us join hands and stand in solidarity with each others.”
H. Mustafa