Athens, December 6, 2024
Photo: eadaily.com
The Greek Orthodox Church has expressed deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Syria, where armed conflict and the capture of Aleppo threaten the survival of ancient Christian communities. The Church calls on the Greek government and international community to take diplomatic action to protect these communities and restore peace in the region.
The situation in long-suffering Syria has become extremely volatile once again, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens writes, with the internal armed conflict deteriorating and bringing dramatic consequences for civilians.
The advance of extreme armed elements and the capture of Aleppo threatens the region’s historic interfaith composition, including its ancient Greek Orthodox population under the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, as well as Syriac Orthodox, Armenian, and other Christian communities.
The years-long conflict and its tragic consequences now pose a risk of completely eliminating Christianity from the broader region, with profound implications for its future, the Greek primate warns.
The Archbishop goes on to express the concern of the Greek Church and to call on the Greek government and international organizations to intervene:
The Most Holy Church of Greece expresses its deepest concern about the developing situation in Syria, as well as its sincere fraternal solidarity with His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and with His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim of Aleppo and the long-suffering Greek Orthodox flock of Syria, as well as with the Brother Christian Primates of the Christian Churches of Syria, and with all those who are persecuted and in danger.
It encourages the Greek Government and particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to undertake diplomatic and other humanitarian initiatives to normalize the situation that has developed and to secure the presence of the Greek diaspora and Orthodox faithful in Syria.
It calls upon international organizations and the international community to contribute in every possible and effective way to end the long and destructive conflict, to bring peace and reconstruction to the region, and to preserve its valuable and unique interfaith coexistence and diversity under terms of mutual respect and cooperation.
The Greek diplomatic mission in Syria is maintaining close contact with the local Greek community, having received 40 requests from Greeks and their family members to join a UN-led evacuation to Damascus, according to Greek Reporter.
While advising against travel, Greece’s Foreign Ministry Crisis Management Unit remains ready to provide necessary assistance through both its Embassy in Damascus and Honorary Consulate in Aleppo.
The Albanian Orthodox Church has also made a statement condemning the violence in Syria and in support of the Christian population.
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