Patriarch of Antioch Expresses Support for UOC

BEIRUT — In a poignant homily at the consecration of the Church of Our Lady of Joy in Zahle, Lebanon, Patriarch John X of Antioch called for peace and unity amid global conflicts, particularly the war between Russia and Ukraine. “We dedicate this church with a heart that bleeds for what is happening between Russia and Ukraine,” he said, praying to the Mother of Mercy to end the war, sparing people from “hunger, spirit, violence, killing, and displacement.”

Expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, he noted their struggles: “Our prayers are for our brothers and sisters in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who are paying the price of their faith with the closure of churches, the confiscation of property, and the prohibition of religious practices.”

He also acknowledged the historical ties with the Russian Church, saying, “We appreciate the historical role of the Russian Church, which has stood and continues to stand by the Church of Antioch from the days of Tsarist Russia to the present day.”

Welcoming Metropolitan Volokolamsk Anthony, Patriarch John X sent greetings to “His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and through him to all our brothers and sisters in the Russian Church.”

He affirmed the Church of Antioch’s commitment to Christ’s truth: “We affirm that the Church of Antioch has been and will remain in the orbit of the truth of Jesus Christ. From His truth alone she derives strength and relies on His hope, and no other.”

The Patriarch likened the church’s consecration to a soul’s baptism, emphasizing relics and the Gospel’s light: “Planting the relics of the saints means, first and foremost, that man is called to be the true Holy Table of the Lord.” He described the church’s golden domes as reflecting the faithful’s hearts and its founder, Bishop Niphon Saikaly.

Addressing conflicts in Syria and Gaza, he lamented, “We are in the Bekaa, and our hearts bleed for what is happening in Palestine and specifically in Gaza… Peace be upon Gaza and the souls of the martyrs of Gaza and our Palestinian people.” He also decried the silence on the kidnapped Aleppo bishops, Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, stating, “As if the people of this East, whose dignity has been violated through kidnapping, killing, and displacement, have no value.”

Read Patriarch John's full homily at the Orthodox Times.

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