A Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarchates of Antioch on the Recent American Aggression in Syria

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God is with us; Understand all ye nations and submit yourselves!

We condemn and denounce the brutal aggression that took place this morning against our precious country Syria by the USA, France, and the UK, under allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons. We raise our voices to affirm the following:

• This brutal aggression is a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, as it’s an unjustified assault on a sovereign country, member of the UN.
• It causes us great pain that this assault comes from powerful countries to which Syria didn’t cause any harm in any way.
• The allegation of the USA and other countries that the Syrian Arab Army uses chemical weapons and that Syria owns and uses this kind of weapon is an unjustified claim unsupported by sufficient and clear evidence.
• The timing of this unjustified aggression against Syria, when an independent International Commission for Inquiry was about to start work in Syria, undermines the work of this commission.
• This brutal aggression destroys the chances for a peaceful political solution and leads to escalation and more complications.
• This unjust aggression encourages terrorist organisations and gives them momentum to continue their terrorism.
• We call upon the UN Security Council to play its role in bringing peace rather than contribute to an escalation of the war.
• We call upon all churches in the countries that participated in the aggression to fulfil their Christian duties according to the teachings of the Gospel, to condemn this aggression, to call their governments to commit to the protection of international peace.
• We salute the courage, heroism, and sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army, which courageously protects Syria and provide security for its people. We pray for the souls of the martyrs and the recovery of the wounded. We’re confident that the army won’t bow before external or internal terrorist aggressions; they’ll continue to fight courageously against terrorism until they cleanse every inch of the Syrian land from terrorism. We, likewise, commend the brave stand of countries friendly to Syria and its people.

We offer our prayers for the safety, victory, and deliverance of Syria from all kinds of wars and terrorism. We also pray for peace in Syria and throughout the world, and call for strengthening the efforts of the national reconciliation for the sake of protecting the country and preserving the dignity of all Syrians.

+ Greek Orthodox Patriarch Youhanna al-Yazigi of Antioch and all the East

+ Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem of Antioch and all the East

+ Melkite-Greek Catholic Patriarch Joseph Absi of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem

Damascus

Syrian Arab Republic

14 April 2018

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6 September 2016. Remember Christian Assyria…

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If you vote for Chilly Hilly, Trump the Chump, or Scary Gary, you thrust a knife full-force into the backs of the Assyrians. All those named support the Israeli/US-fomented insurgency against President Assad. The only peace candidate is Dr Jill. Vote for her if you love the Assyrians and wish to see them thrive… that’s the only sane option on offer…

There must not be a second Assyrian Genocide… the first happened at the same time that the Ottomans were murdering the Armenians… NEVER forget… NEVER forgive… don’t vote for those who’d either enable or watch the killing. It IS in your hands…

BMD

21 August 2016. God Preserve and Keep the Assyrian People

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Assyrians aren’t Syrian… they’re the original Christian inhabitants of Northern Syria/Iraq… they’re not Arabs… they do speak Semitic languages (and most speak Arabic). That is, they’re related to Arabs linguistically and culturally, but they’re not Arabs. Assyrians are from the Church of the East, the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the Chaldaean Catholic Church. Most Assyrians are for President Assad, as the Syrian Arab Army and its allied forces protect them. In Iraq, the USA allowed extremist Islamists to persecute the Assyrians… the USA supports Islamists because of its Saudi and Gulf allies. The USA threw the Christians under the bus.

If you vote for Clinton, Trump, or Johnson, you stick a knife into the Assyrians and twist it. Tote it up for yourself… to protect the innocent Assyrian people, vote Stein…

BMD

Armenian and Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs Ask Christians to Remember the 1915 Genocide as Centennial Nears

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On Wednesday, the First Hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church urged all Christians to remember and reflect on the genocide of Armenians and Syriac Christians in Turkey in 1915, where up to 2 million people died or disappeared without a trace. A joint statement by Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin Nersessian and Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem Karim said, “We invite the entire Christian world to unite in prayer at the Armenian Genocide and the Syriac Sayfo centennial commemorative events in 2015. We call upon the civilised world to recognise and condemn the crimes committed against the Armenian and Syriac peoples as well as other Christian communities”. Since Armenians made up nearly 1.5 million of the victims, many call the 1915 massacre during World War I in Ottoman Turkey the Armenian Genocide. The attacks on Christians eliminated almost the entire Christian population in present day Turkey, leaving almost an entirely Muslim nation {not so… the expulsion of the Greek Orthodox population from Ionia in the 20s did so: editor}.

As the centennial commemoration approaches, the Armenian and Syriac leaders want the international community to recognise and condemn the atrocities committed at the time. Earlier this week, the two patriarchs met at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the spiritual centre of all Armenians, to sign a declaration affirming the shared faith of the two sister churches. In September, Assyrian International News Agency reported that a documentary film is in preparation on the 1915 genocide, scheduled to première in 2015 as part of the commemoration. Produced by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden and the Assyrian Youth Federation of Sweden, the documentary explains the circumstances and details behind the genocide to a wider audience. Directed by Aziz Said from Berlin, the film crew spent close to three weeks in southeast Turkey shooting footage for the film. The documentary also seeks to expose the denial of the genocide as maintained by the Turkish state, and highlight the effect the massacre still has on Assyrians today. The Genocide1915 website provides a comprehensive history of the conflict. It notes that 24 April is the commemoration day of the genocide as the genocide began that night in 1915, when the Turks rounded up and executed close to 250 Armenians within 72 hours, including doctors, lawyers, and politicians.

15 October 2014

Christian Post

http://www.christianpost.com/news/armenian-and-syrian-orthodox-patriarchs-ask-christians-to-remember-the-1915-genocide-as-centennial-nears-128129/