Pat. John X Urges Christians to Stand Firm in Middle East

Photo: Antioch Patriarchate/Facebook

DAMASCUS — His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, celebrated the New Year’s Divine Liturgy at the Marian Cathedral in Damascus, assisted by Met. Ephraim Maalouli (Aleppo), Met. Gregorios Khoury (Homs), and several bishops and clergy.

In his sermon, Patriarch John reflected on the turning of the year as a sacred moment in Christ’s history, emphasizing time as a gift of salvation. He invoked the words of the late Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim: “I reject the idea of the Middle East without Christians and without Christianity, because Christ Himself is Middle Eastern... We will not leave. We are Antiochians and will remain Antiochians. We will remain on Antiochian soil, and Antioch will remain our apostolic capital... Our destiny is to be Antiochians in Antioch, and we will not surrender to anything.”

The Patriarch prayed for peace in Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East, for abducted clergy including Mets. John Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, and for the martyrs of St. Elias Church in Douma, reaffirming the Church’s witness and steadfast presence in the region.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Pat. John met with the Syrian president. 

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