Syria’s Christians Celebrate Easter by Holding Prayers and Masses

PROVONCES, (ST)- Syria’s Christian communities, which follow the Gregorian calendar, on Sunday celebrated Easter by holding masses and performing prayers in all churches and worshipping places in different Syrian provinces, including Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs, Tartous, Hasaka, Daraa and Sweida.

 Patriarch Youssef Absi of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church presided over a mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus.

In his Easter sermon, the patriarch highlighted the sublime meaning of Easter and the message of resurrection which is a message of peace, amity and tolerance that people must adopt n their lives to get the strength that enable them surpass difficult circumstances.

 “We are praying for peace to prevail in Syria, we are praying for our army and the martyrs who passed away while defending their homeland and families,” said Patriarch Absi, asking God Almighty to protect Syria, the cradle of civilizations and the beacon of peace and justice, and to protect President Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian army and all who backed the army in defending the country.”

Easter Sermons, made during the masses held in the country’s churches, called for tolerance, amity and peace to prevail among the Syrians in order to rebuild the homeland and restore security to the entire territory.

They explained the brutal economic siege imposed on the Syrian people to humiliate them, stressing that the terrorist war waged against the Syrian state’s economy, heritage and national unity will fail to achieve its goals.

They condemned the US declaration on occupied Syrian Golan, stressing that it is part of the desperate attempts that accompanied the terrorist war imposed on Syria to undermine peace in the region.

They affirmed that Syria will continue to be an example of coexistence and fraternity among its citizens and that the awareness of the Syrian people will be the biggest guarantor of Syria’s victory over conspiracies and siege attempts.

Delegated by President Al-Assad, Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam visited heads of Christian denominations, which follow the Gregorian calendar, to convey President Al-Assad’s congratulations on Easter and his wishes of all good and peace to them and to all the Syrians.

 Hamda Mustafa