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christiantoday.com
Hazel Torres 02
October 2015
Russia
is waging a "holy war" in Syria to protect innocent Christians
against the "tyranny of terrorism," the powerful Russian Orthodox
Church declared in a statement on Wednesday as Russian warplanes began pounding
targets in Syria.
"Russia
took a responsible decision to use military forces to protect the Syrian people
from the woes brought on by the tyranny of terrorists," Russian Orthodox
Church's Patriarch Kirill said in an official statement.
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The
Patriarch said Russia's armed intervention became necessary since "the political
process has not led to any noticeable improvement in the lives of innocent
people, and they need military protection."
Archpriest
Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, which has 150
million members worldwide, pointed out that President Vladimir Putin's decision
to send Russian forces to Syria has the approval of parliament and is
"consistent with international law, the mentality of our people and the
role that our country has always played in the Middle East," the Interfax
news agency said as reported by the International Business Times.
Chaplin
said Russia cannot turn its back on Christians and other minority groups being
wiped out by Islamic State militants and other extremist forces.
"The
fight against terrorism is a holy struggle and today our country is perhaps the
most active force in the world to combat terrorism," the Russian Orthodox
Church spokesman said.
A
senior Muslim cleric has also expressed his support for the Russian military
intervention in Syria, saying Syrians are "practically our
neighbours."
"We
fully back the use of a contingent of Russian armed forces in the battle
against international terrorism," said Talgat Tadzhuddin, head of the
Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, as reported by the RIA
Novosti state news agency.
Chaplin
said a council representing Russia's other major religions — Orthodox
Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism — will release a joint statement
shortly expressing its support for "the decision taken by our government."
Speaking
on Russian television, Putin defended his country's military incursion in
Syria, Russia's lone ally in the Middle East.
"The
only correct way to fight international terrorism.... is to act preemptively,
to battle and destroy fighters and terrorists on the territories they have
already seized, not to wait for them to come to us," Putin said.
Kremlin
Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov said Russian forces will be targeting ISIS
militants in Syria at the request of President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier
on Monday, Putin delivered a speech before the United Nations where he urged
the world to support Assad. "We believe it's a huge mistake to refuse to
cooperate with the Syrian authorities, with the government forces, those who
are bravely fighting terror face-to-face," Putin said.