Thursday, August 8, 2013

Patriarch of Antioch Refuses to Leave Syria

Zakka I Iwas rejects speculation about internal church dispute over abducted bishops of Aleppo Vatican City (kath.net / KAP) The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Mar Ignatius Zakka Iwas, does not want to leave his headquarters in Damascus. He made it clear to his office, reported the press service Vatican Fides on Monday. In a statement, the to Fides, it has denied rumors that Zakka I Iwas wanted to move the seat of the Patriarchate because of the Syrian civil war to Turkey. Such a move only magnify the risk that the Syrian Orthodox Church would be "wiped out".

Since the beginning of the fighting there were multiple bombs detonated in the Christian Quarter of Damascus and dozens of people were killed. Radical Islamic fighters among the ranks of the rebels are allegedly suspected to be behind the attacks.

"We don't want only the survival of the See of Antioch in Syria, but also that all people across the country to stay here," he says in the letter. This applies to "our Muslim brothers" just as we hope for the other Christian communities in Syria. The 80 year old Patriarch further informed the office he is in good health. Speculations were rejected with indignation, according to which there has been an intra-church dispute over the abduction of the two Archbishops of Aleppo. There is no sign that bishops Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim (Syrian Orthodox) and Boulos al-Yazigi (Greek Orthodox) missing since since the 22nd of April re still alive. Copyright 2013 Catholic Press Agency, Vienna, Austria

Kath.news...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A good and brave servant? He seems to be. I will increase my prayers for him and all Christians in Syria who are innocent victims of other men's wars.

Anonymous said...

This Pope needs to stay away from Israel. It really sends the wrong message to our Eastern brothers.