Patriarch Yuhanna X Yaziji addresses President Ahmad al-Shara`

Patriarch Yuhanna X Yaziji, primate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East, penned this open letter to Syrian Interim President, Mr. Ahmad al-Shara`, following the events that began on March 6 in Syria.

Mr. President, May God Protect You.

The bloody events unfolding along the Syrian coast have left many dead and wounded, both among civilians and General Security forces. However, not all those killed were remnants of the former regime. In fact, the majority were innocent, defenseless civilians—women and children among them.

The sanctity and dignity of the people have been violated. The chants and slogans being used are spreading division, fueling sectarian tensions, and destabilizing civil peace. Many cities, towns, and villages have seen their homes burned and their contents looted. The targeted areas have been predominantly those inhabited by Alawites and Christians. Among the victims were many innocent Christians.

In some areas, residents were forced to flee their homes, only to be shot and killed. Their houses were then looted, their belongings and cars stolen—such was the case in Banyas, in the Qusour neighborhood, for example.

Mr. President, an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was shattered, trampled upon, and desecrated. This is the same Virgin Mary honored not only by Christians but also by Muslims, the one whom the Holy Qur’an dedicates an entire chapter to—Surat Maryam—stating that God chose her and made her the most honored among women.

Mr. President, this is not your discourse, and these actions contradict your vision for a new Syria following the revolution’s victory.

Therefore, we call upon you, with your wisdom and efforts, to put an immediate end to these massacres. Halt them at once and restore a sense of security and stability to all Syrians, across all sects. We urge you to push toward national reconciliation, civil peace, peaceful coexistence, and the protection of freedoms as a fundamental value in a society built on the principle of citizenship, as you have consistently declared and expressed.

We pray for your health and for your leadership of Syria, that it may be guided to deliverance, safety, and stability.

May sectarianism fall, and may the nation endure.

May Syria remain free and proud.