Nicosia, March 26, 2025
Photo: wikimedia.org Europe and other countries are indifferent to the plight of Christians who are being massacred in Syria because they’re more worried about being accused of Islamophobia, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus said at its latest session.
Gathered under the chairmanship of Archbishop Georgios yesterday, the Synod addressed a number of issues, especially including the state of churches in the occupied portion of the island and the suffering of Christians in the Middle East.
Referring to the “miserable condition” of churches in the Turkish-occupied territory and the refusal of the occupation authorities to allow their repair, the Synod stated that this “constitutes Turkey’s pursuit to eliminate every trace that testifies to our presence for centuries in our territories that are occupied today.”
The Synod thus calls on the UN “to rise to the height of its mission, by taking care to resolve these humanitarian and cultural issues.”
And concerning the recent waves of violence against Christians in Syria, the Synod stated:
The violence, oppressive discrimination, and blatant massacres to which Christians are systematically subjected have already dangerously reduced the Christian population in the country. This is, unfortunately, a genocide that has been unfolding over the last decade with a dramatic escalation in recent months and which shows that the situation may not be reversible. If there is no international intervention, it is extremely difficult for Christians in Syria to survive in the long term.
However, Europe and other Christian countries are afraid to stand up:
The indifference of Europe, as well as other Christian countries, which are more concerned about not being accused of Islamophobia than protecting their Christian brothers, reinforces this difficulty.
The statement continues:
The Ancient Patriarchate of Antioch has suffered a great blow in recent years due to the dramatic shrinking of its Orthodox flock. In general, the future of Christians in the Middle East looks bleak. That is why a solution that will withstand the test of time should be sought by the powerful of the earth. It is not possible to tolerate the elimination of Christianity from the places where the message of the Gospel was first heard and Christianity was spread.
The Church of Cyprus, which has its own experience of persecution, “stands with all its strength beside the sister Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Christians of other denominations in the region. It prays that God will strengthen and comfort Christians in the very difficult situation in which they find themselves today.”
And by decision of the Synod, a fundraiser for the suffering Christians in Syria will be held in all churches on the 5th Sunday of Lent on April 6.
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