Religious minorities at risk for ongoing violence in Syria

March 07, 2013: As evidenced by the alarming information received from various dioceses of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, "the situation of religious minorities in Syria is increasingly threatened by the escalation of the military conflict in the country." A report it is the Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, in a statement dated March 4, remember that on February 18 last year, the diocesan council of the metropolis of Aleppo (Patriarchate of Antioch) issued a statement on the situation in Aleppo, the second which 20 percent of the city would be destroyed, and 80 percent of its infrastructure damaged, and this has created problems in the service of energy supply and drinking water.

From seven months Aleppo, the capital of the district of Halab, is under siege due to clashes and battles that are inflaming the north of Syria. "The normal course of life in the city - the statement - is altered, people are deprived of work, the shops are closed, as well as 90 percent of the schools. The energy crisis and the economic blockade resulted in a price increase of essential products that, in Aleppo, cost five to ten times more of their value." The Christian minority, who is not involved in the conflict, "raises its voice in defense of peace in the country and calls on the warring parties to sit at the negotiating table."

Christians do not suffer less than others for the violence and the calamities of war. Most of them - said the Russian Orthodox Church - have fled from Aleppo to other cities of Syria and Lebanon, others have gone to Europe or North America. At the same time, the poorest Christian families continue to stay in the city. Many Christian homes and buildings have been destroyed, including a former Orthodox Cathedral. For this reason, the metropolis of Aleppo and Alexandretta gives its support to those families who need to repair their homes, medical care and medicines, food and clothing.

The Moscow Patriarchate reminds that the Metropolitan of Aleppo, Paul (Yazigi), and the diocesan council expressed their sincere gratitude to all those who provide support to the metropolis in such a terrible situation, as well as those who give spiritual and material help. "Orthodox Christians of Aleppo call on God to end the violence in all its forms; it initiates the process of negotiation between the parties to the conflict and restores peace to the suffering people of Syria."

The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place February 2 to 5 in Moscow, has expressed deep concern about the sharp deterioration of the situation of Christians in the Middle East and North Africa. In a conciliar decree, among other things, it is pointed out that "the demise of Christianity in the areas where it existed for two thousand years, and where there have been major events of sacred history, would be a spiritual and historical tragedy."

On 1 August 2012, Nifon, former archbishop of Plovdiv, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russians, spoke concerning the tragic bloodshed in Syria. "Countless numbers of Christians and Muslims - it is said - have been victims of violence: the hospitals are full of injured people, their pain has no end. The Syrians, regardless of the religion they profess, they have the right to live in their country with pride and dignity. In the last fifteen months, many Syrians have had to leave their homes. The Christians were forced to flee their city, leaving everything they had, and our priests have been forced to leave their churches. "
The message ended with the request to the United Nations, to "show respect" against Syria and "work together to achieve peace and stability." The situation in Syria and the Near East was discussed in Moscow in the recent visit by the Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï.