Moscow, April 18, 2018
Photo: www.unh.edu A peacemaking appeal in response to the continuing tragedy in the Middle East, and in response to recent events in Syria in particular, has been released with the support five Orthodox primates and other Christian leaders.
The text of the appeal was agreed upon during a telephone conversation between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis on Saturday, and was also supported by His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and all Africa, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and all East, and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, as well as Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Church of Alexandria, reports the site of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Pat. John X previously released a short statement condemning President Donald Trump’s tweets about responding militarily to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian governmental forces, and he released a joint statement with the Syriac and Melkite Catholic patriarchs of Antioch following Saturday’s attack against Syria by the U.S., U.K., and France, calling it a “brutal” and “unjust aggression.”
The new joint statement reads in full:
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called the sons of God.
(Mt. 5:9)
Impelled by a sense of responsibility for the millions of Christians that God has entrusted to our spiritual care and for the wellbeing of the entire human family, which shares a common destiny, we join together to speak out at this time of heightened international tension.
The ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which in recent years have brought immense suffering, claimed the lives of many thousands of people and caused the flight of millions of refugees, now threaten to turn into a global conflict.
Our world has reached a point where there is a real danger of a breakdown in international relations and cooperation for the common good of the human family.
Clearly, the horrors of the world wars of the last century can hardly be compared with the dire consequences of a world war at the present time.
In the face of this terrible threat, we appeal to all world leaders to recognize their responsibility before their respective nations, before mankind and before God.
We likewise appeal to the countries of the United Nations, and particularly members of the Security Council, to recall their duties towards the family of nations, and we implore them, in the name of God, to overcome their disagreements and to work together for peace in the world.
Together we call upon the political leaders to avoid a further escalation of tensions, to eschew confrontation and to embrace dialogue.
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