(Vatican Radio) Christian churches worldwide are being urged join an international
mobilization effort, May 11, to pray for peace in Syria.
“On Saturday, May
11, Christians of all denominations will gather in prayer to petition God to grant
his mercy on Syria and to bring an end to violence,” reads a message issued by the
Syrian Christian community.
The prayer is focused on four main intentions:
the return of peace, the liberation of all hostages, assistance for all children traumatized
by the war, and humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees and displaced people.
In
Syria, since it is too risky for people to move within the combat zones, Christians
will hold local prayer gatherings in homes, churches and other meeting places, the
message says. This is the first interdenominational prayer initiative in Syria.
Given
devastation and the tens of thousands of deaths the two-year civil war has wreaked,
the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Syria has also been informally termed “the prayer
of a broken heart”.
“Peace in Lebanon, Syria and the Holy Land is a requirement
for regional and international peace,” said Patriarch Gregory III Laham of the Church
of Antioch in appealing for participation in the day of prayer. Peace allows for coexistence
and human freedom, he said.