No. EN 126/18
March 2nd, 2018
OPEN LETTER
Rev.
Dr. Olav Fykse-Tveit
General
Secretary, World Council of Churches
Geneva
– SWITZERLAND
Dear
Rev. Dr. Tveit,
May
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
We
are deeply appalled by your statement on Syria, issued on February 26, 2018. You
mention 550 victims killed in Eastern Ghouta including more than 130 children. However,
you neglect to mention hundreds of civilians including many children killed by
the mortars and missiles coming from Eastern Ghouta, especially when most of
these mortars have long targeted areas populated by Christians from churches
which are members of WCC.
Targeting
of civilians on all sides should be indeed condemned.
Your
statement clearly shows a biased position concerning what is happening in Syria
in general, and in Damascus in particular. As a Council of Churches
representing its members including those of us who live in Syria, your
statement should have been apolitical, more pastoral and reflecting the
position of the great majority of Christians in Syria. It is obvious that your
information on what is happening in Syria lacks accuracy and objectivity. Such
an unbalanced statement will be used as a political tool serving a political
vision of Syria’s future which does not necessarily express the views of the
majority of the Syrian people including Christians. We remind you that the
local churches continue to witness for Christ and seek to serve all the Syrians
in a Christian spirit despite the daily danger. We feel that the way WCC is
dealing with the churches in Syria is that of exclusion and indifference
towards the voice of the churches. Therefore, we hope that the World Council of
Churches once again becomes the voice of the suffering churches in Syria and to
convey to the entire world the reality of what they are going through.
We
pray that the conflict in Syria ends soon and that peace and security prevail
so that all Syrians may live in harmony and contribute together to the rebuilding
of their country and the future of their children.
Faithfully
in the Lord, we remain,
Ignatius
Aphrem II
Patriarch
of Antioch and All the East
Supreme
Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church
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