Bringing hope of peace for
Syria
Beirut, 26 May 2013 (Apic)
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch
of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem, Gregorios III, surrounded
by bishops from Lebanon and superiors general from religious orders, received
on 25 May in Beirut Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the
Oriental Churches.
The conversations between the two men touched on the
regional situation in general and the future of Eastern Christians, especially
in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
The Patriarch reiterated his
appeal for church leaders from the Holy See to include Syria in their trips in
the hope of seeing peace reign there one day. He hoped that the forthcoming
meetings between the Council of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs (CECP) and the Congregation
for the Oriental Churches would allow the peace process and Muslim-Christian dialogue
to be relaunched. He hopes too for a development of ecumenical spirit between
all the region’s Churches, according to the directives of the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation after the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the
Synod of Bishops promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI, during his trip to Lebanon, in
September 2012.
Translation from French V. C.