The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece have called for the “peaceful and constructive coexistence of Christians and Muslims” in Syria to be maintained, saying that any “uprooting Orthodox Christianity from Syria” would be “sacrilegious in the eyes of history.”
In a statement issued after a meeting of the Church of Greece’s Synod in Athens, the Hierarchs said that they are in “constant communication” with the Patriarchate of Antioch and are concerned “for its flock and the other Christians in the country.”
The synod, the statement continued, “appeals to both the Greek government and the international community to take urgent initiatives to ensure peace in the region, protect the civilian population, prevent a humanitarian tragedy, and ensure the presence of the ancient Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the Christians in the region.”
Earlier, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a telephone conversation with His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, in light of recent developments in Syria that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.