Talk by His Beatitude Gregorios III on the Syrian Crisis Spring 2014

Talk by His Beatitude Gregorios III on the Syrian Crisis Spring 2014 1 As Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and President of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchs in Syria I have been making many visits in order to echo the voice of Pope Francis (who brought about a miracle on 7 September last year by his call for prayer to stop the war on Syria) and ask everyone to pray every day without fail for my country, (where our people have been suffering in a war that has lasted for over three years) so that the cradle of Christianity may again be at peace. 2 I have to stress that this war is not what we normally think of as civil war with Syrians fighting Syrians but is rather a disastrous influx of more than two thousand outside groups intent upon destabilising Syrian society as we have known it for millennia. In my experience of life in Syria and other Arab countries, Christianity and Islam have been living together for some 1435 Islamic years (or 1392 years by the Christian or civil calendar). 3 Details from my experience of life in Syria prior to the current situation I am from Darayya the city of the Vision/Revelation where Saint Paul encountered the risen Christ Up until recent times Darayya had some 1500 Christians living in a society of 200,000 Muslims My mother breastfed me together with a Muslim milk brother Our mosque is located near the church and the church near a mosque, and we meet each other in both places of worship Muslims celebrated the inauguration of our church in 1937 My mother worked in the fields for a Muslim farmer and was treated with great respect My father built houses both for Muslims and Christians When as a young priest I used to visit my relatives homes, Muslims would stand up as a sign of respect When as a bishop I visited my family on my return from Jerusalem, Muslims were the first to welcome me Muslim feasts are celebrated by Christians too, just as Muslims congratulate Christians on their feast days 1

I have never felt any animosity towards Muslims Mutual respect has always characterised our interfaith (Muslim Christian) relations Yet we have experienced difficult times: in 1860 our churches were destroyed and our children killed by Muslims and Druze 4 The current situation despite the crisis Jobs are available Agriculture is developing Banks are dealing in foreign exchange We have local and international universities Education at all levels is free Hospital admission and care in public hospitals is free Every employee has social security Travel by day or night is unimpeded There is no prohibition on alcoholic beverages or other foodstuffs We are free to build churches, schools, charitable institutions, monasteries, orphanages, hospitals The Government provides grants and other assistance: o for example, the government donates the cement for building private hospitals o the state provides land when a church is needed o mosques and churches benefit from free electricity and free water supplies I have often prayed and given thanks in the Umayyad Mosque The Grand Mufti of Syria (and other sheikhs) prays and preaches in our cathedral too We have hymns sung in unison: Allahu Akbar alongside the Resurrection hymn. 5 Celebration of the Year of Saint Paul in 2008 2009 We had a wonderful celebration in Damascus of the Feast of St Paul in the Year of St Paul (2008 2009): o 7000 people took part in a procession through the streets of the Old City o In June 2009 some forty cardinals and bishops visited Damascus at the Close of the Year of St Paul and were invited to the palace by Syria s President o They also prayed and sang in the Umayyad mosque (where in the seventh century stood the Church of St John the Baptist) o We entered the mosque with incense and candles o Citizens in Damascus stood to honour these 40 bishops as they walked through the streets o At the inauguration of the feast, the conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus was played at the Opera House o At the conclusion of the Year of St Paul a ballet on the life of St Paul was played at the Damascus Citadel 2

6 Freedom of worship When Pope Saint John Paul II visited Syria in 2001, the President received him with these words, Welcome to Syria, birthplace of Christianity. The same president would often say to his visitors, Christ was born in Palestine, but Christianity was born in Syria, because Damascus embraced Christianity three weeks after Pentecost. In 2006, 75% of civil laws were harmonized with Catholic Canon Law We can build as many churches as we need We have our fraternities, youth groups, charitable organisations, schools In 2005 ten universities were established in the country, concentrated in rural areas. Some foreign universities also opened, which shows Syria s openness to outside education Outstanding agricultural development: we use home grown wheat despite sanctions and the war that has lasted over three years We still love each other despite those three years of war The Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus has often stated, With regard to freedom of religion I give Syria ten out of ten. I asked the Minister of Religious Affairs to hold a convention, to explain to Muslims the results of the Synod for the Middle East (Communion and Witness). He agreed, and I invited thirteen Churches and Patriarchates. Thirty seven countries participated in the convention. Patriarchs and bishops were lodged in hotels and three thousand people attended as guests of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. I hosted the convention. This is Syria. It s not what you see now: armed militia, fanatics, fundamentalist, bandits, terrorists We are victims of those whose hatred sent them. The criminals are those who send terrorists, not their victims. 7 Tragic situation The suffering of Christians is not caused by Muslim hostility to Christians, but rather by fundamentalist elements who have entered our country with only violence in mind against every Syrian. The fact that the millions of refugees include both Muslims and Christians shows that this is not a Syrian Muslim Christian conflict but that the whole of Syrian society is destabilised and targeted by murderous mercenaries. Over one hundred thousand have been killed, eight million displaced, two million children traumatised, hundreds of villages destroyed, thousands of persons of all ages and both genders abducted for ransom, raped, or otherwise assaulted, shelled, abused and intimidated. Thousands 3

of Christiansʹ homes have been destroyed, ninety one churches destroyed or damaged, and twenty four villages emptied of their Christian inhabitants; more than one thousand Christians (both civilians and military personnel) have been killed. About 450,000 Christians have become refugees inside and outside Syria. 8 Relief service: churches to the rescue The Melkite Patriarchate of Damascus engages in emergency aid within Syria and works with religious communities, UN agencies and NGOs to provide support to enable our people to stay in Syria unless they are in tremendous danger. Special thanks goes to all our partners in aid work. 9 Position of the Christians Syriaʹs Christian Churches reject any sort of foreign intervention in Syria because we are firmly convinced that violence leads to violence and weapons to other weapons. All peace building processes must be Syrian led. We call upon all local and international leaders to make every effort to protect civilians in Syria and for Church and State leaders to prepare carefully for a Geneva 3 Peace Conference. Don t destroy Syria and its children to bring about regime change! We believe in our nation, our country and our president. As Christians we want to be the first to develop our society. We want to stay together; we ought to stay together: we can do so Our presence as Christians is significant because of the role we play. Our presence is meaningless if we have no role. Pope St John Paul II discerned the importance of that role and presence when he said: Palestine is the spiritual homeland of every Christian, because it was the homeland of the Saviour of the world and of his Mother. He also said that individuals social nature is being ʹwithʹ and ʹforʹ others. We in Arab countries are with and for. We are the presence of Jesus and the Gospel in our predominantly Muslim Arab society. Give us peace so that we can stay and not leave. 10 Impact of the Israeli Palestinian conflict Pray for the Palestinian cause and resolve the Palestinian Israeli conflict and you will resolve fifty per cent of the Arab world s problems and fanaticism. Resolving this conflict is what guarantees the Christian presence in Arab countries. It is possible for us to live together as Christians, Muslims and Jews as we did before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. All big cities in the Arab world were hosting successful, prosperous Jewish communities. Israel wanted them to leave Arab countries for Israel. Leave us in peace to live together and resolve our problems without outside intervention. 4

11 A peaceful solution in Syria is the key to peace in the whole region Succeeding in reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria is key to peace in the Arab world and the whole world; to Arab unity, Christian and Muslim living together in the Middle East and the cure for fanaticism in Europe and America. We wonder, what can the divided Syrian opposition offer? Armed insurgents, bandits and fanatical extremists What too can the West offer us? Of course we want development and prosperity but should we kill people and destroy a country in order to obtain that? Is the war in Syria aiming to produce freedom, justice and equality or just profits for foreign arms dealers? 12 The importance of the Church s voice We respectfully appeal to all leaders: listen to the voice of the Church in Syria. Isn t it to our benefit to be loyal to our country and to our citizenship? Christians love everyone. Join us and support the Church in Syria and leave an heroic legacy to the future. That is why you should be working with the international community for peace in Syria. Then we can build a new world, a new government and witness a true Arab Spring of peace. Join the Church in being a servant of peace, love and reconciliation. Between 15 17 January 2014 Church leaders and representatives from Syria, the Middle East Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches and the Holy See gathered in Geneva for a consultation about the forthcoming Geneva 2 peace conference. They recommended that any peace building process must be Syrian led; that every effort be made to secure the peace, territorial integrity and independence of Syria, and that the multi ethnic, multi religious and multi confessional nature and tradition of Syrian society be preserved, with human rights, dignity and religious freedom for all. With them, we call upon all local and international leaders to make every effort to protect civilians in Syria. We hope for a unanimous, global campaign to be orchestrated at church and state level to prepare seriously and carefully for a Geneva 3 meeting. 13 Christian emigration This emigration has grave, painful and dangerous consequences. It is severely affecting all our parishes and communities in the Arab world, especially in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, which means the East becoming void of Christians. Emigration means the gradual loss of pluralism and diversity in the Arab world and of the great 5

opportunities for human and religious Muslim Christian dialogue and daily, social co existence of cultures visible in the fabric of daily life. 14 Hope for the future a) I am working to create a Syrian think tank of committed Christian intellectuals concerned by the difficulties facing Syrian society. It will formulate a charter for the practical involvement of Christians in all sectors of our Syrian society. b) Never let the flame of hope be extinguished in your heart! c) I m working on fund raising for after the crisis, to enable the Church to help our communities rebuild their homes. d) We are also in the process of building a church in Jaramana district, Damascus, to accommodate Christians who have recently moved into the area. 15 Proposal for reconstruction 1 compensation provided by the State: I have founded a committee with the purpose of following up this issue with the State in order to secure what is due to our families 2 help from different institutions: from the UN, international institutions, charitable institutions, and NGOs 3 help provided by the Church: besides moral support, the Church is able to loan some $3,000 to $5,000 (or 1,600 to 3,000) to each family. 16 My Project: one international voice of the Church I have sent a letter to the Bishops Conferences to work with their countries supporting the peace in Syria. An appeal especially to the Catholic Church to petition the Pope to set out and present to the whole world a road map for Syria I ask the Pope to select a team of four Cardinals closely to follow the cause of Syria. I am working to form a group of think tanks to foster Christian values and democratic principles. 17 Appeal I appeal to you, beloved, to join the Church in serving peace, love and reconciliation I appeal to all Syrians, as I did in June 2011 I appeal to my Muslim fellow citizens: let us Christians and Muslims stand together for Syria I appeal to all Muslims to stand up united in front of those who disfigure the face of Islam, the fanatics who disrespect human dignity both inside and outside of Syria and destroy the harmony between Christians and Muslims. 6

I ask each of you to try your best to support the suffering men and women of Syria. There are some nine million refugees inside and outside Syria, among them children and the disabled, sick, kidnapped and hungry: I speak for them. The Church of Damascus and Syria is united in serving the suffering Syrian people. I appeal to all Arab countries to be united. Young people long to see Arab unity, which is the best basis for solving the Palestinian case and fostering development in Arab countries and creating respect for the dignity of their citizens and promoting freedom and democracy. 18 The ministry of reconciliation The Church in Syria is called to the ministry of reconciliation (Musalaha). Jesus came not for one nation but to gather all the people of God into one. We do not wish to be under allegiance to anyone: no one has the right to speculate on us, limit us to a faction, own us, arm us, or entice us to adopt this or that attitude. We stand for reconciliation. + Gregorios III Patriarch of Anctioch and all the East Of Alexandria and Jerusalem 7