Sep 22, 2015, 2:28 PM

Syrian Christian Bishop sends message to Pope Francis

Syrian Christian Bishop sends message to Pope Francis

Damascus, Sep. 22 (MNA) – We ask and beg Pope Francis to convey a message to US President, Barack Obama, to stop the aggression against Syria and leave us in peace, said here Syrian orthodox bishop, Mouris Amsih.

In an interview with Prensa Latina, the bishop praised the visit by the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to Cuba, describing it as act of blessing, and requested that in his upcoming visit to the United States, he intercedes before the Congress and with authorities to stop the aggression against this country.

Bishop Amsih also highlighted the fact that three popes have visited Cuba in less than 20 years, which he considers a divine message from God to the people of that country, which he described as good, hard workers, that win their bread with the sweat of their foreheads and it is a real fighter.

"Despite being Cuba a small island, its name is mentioned all over the planet. Cuba is like salt flavoring meals and offers that image worldwide", said the bishop.

During the conversation held in the Patriarchate of the Syrian Orthodox Church in this capital, Bishop Amsih recognized that with the Revolution, Cubans defend their love to their fellow men, to life, and demonstrate daily their willingness to help everyone.

"It's not a coincidence that Cuba has been visited by the three popes, even more when we Christians are inspired by faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit', he emphasized.

He highlighted that the Pope was chosen by God at a very difficult time to command the ship of peace, and called world leaders to follow that path and step aside from the war language.

"We hope that God always sends angels, in the form of human beings, like Pope Francis, to continue to bless the Cuban people, and in turn, to send a message of faith to this part of the eastern world that is being destroyed", he said.

Bishop Amsih referred to the current crisis the Syrian people live since 2011, facing an international aggression with the use of armed terrorist groups that have planted chaos, death and destruction in this country.

Today, he stated, the land of the prophets, the Apostles, the messengers of God, where Jesus Christ walked, is burning. Damascus, which is the oldest city in the world, the place where St. Paul was, is besieged by armed terrorists.

According to the cleric, many saints walked on this earth, since Ananias, Santa Tecla, the disciple of San Pablo; the Virgin Mary who also passed through here on her way north, which makes it a blessed territory.

"This land is the cradle of civilizations and religions, and pray that God takes away this black cloud from the Middle East," he stressed.

He also recalled that since the beginning of the crisis more than four years ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Europe, the United States, and the UN, that the scourge of terrorism would arrive and spread worldwide.

He reviewed the torture to which Christians are subjected as a result of religious extremism imposed by the terrorist groups of the Islamic State (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front - armed wing of Al-Qaeda in Syria, among other armed gangs.

"We are now seeing the same massacres against Christians, as happened when the Ottoman Empire genocide against Armenians and Syrian Christians 100 years ago, and today people are murdered according to their identity and origin."

In addition, he claimed that 250 Syrian Orthodox Christians are kidnapped by the IS in the province of Hasaka, and another 270 face the same fate in the area of Al-Qaryatayn, who are required to pay a tax in gold, or convert to Islam.

He also explained that the church prays for the recovery of the wounded, for the release of hostages, particularly of bishops Pedro Yazigi and Juan Ibrahim, leaders of the Orthodox Metropolitan Greek Church and the Metropolitan Orthodox Syrian Church, both in Aleppo province, held by terrorist groups since April 2013.

"We Syrian Christians will resist together with our people, where we do not feel like a minority. We built this country and we will not allow anyone to come and destroy it, even though love and peace are our symbols."

Whoever comes to confront us with weapons, he added, will face the cross, because love makes miracles, so we pray for our people and our land, that God protect our people and that peace is consolidated upon the soul and blood of our martyrs who fertilized the Syrian land.

sc/yor/lam/mfm

PL-10/MNA

News ID 110354

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