ALEPPO, Syria, AUG. 21, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Last week the Metropolitan of Aleppo, Mar Gregorios Yohanna Abraham, of the Syrian Orthodox Church, issued a statement on the problems Christians are facing in the midst of the current conflicts.
“We no longer can enjoy our peaceful co-existence the once we use to be proud of,” he commented.
“A this juncture, we cannot see the light at the end of our predicament tunnel, after all this detraction and mayhem we still hear that ‘The Battle for Aleppo’ with untold consequences is yet to start,” he noted.
He explained that problems began dating back to the 1980s with corruption and bad behavior by government officials. “The yoke of persistent corruption generated discreet popular foment which eventually triggered the protest movement,” he said.
People thought that with the popular uprisings in other Middle Eastern countries that that the “Arab Spring” could be a way to eradicate corruption. What has occurred, however, is civil war and chaos.
There is the danger, he said, of a “nightmarish scenario which threatens the existence of the state by fragmenting it into many tiny entities.”
It is important, he urged, to maintain a united Syria, but one with more justice, the rule of law, and freedom of belief.
The Church leader pleaded for a cease fire between the warring parties and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country. Furthermore, he called for negotiations between all the parties and for an eventual reconciliation between those in conflict.
“I would invite you to share with me fervent prayers for a peaceful out come to the Syrian crisis, for security, safety and stability,” he added.