Syria: patriarch fears descent into civil war
October 11, 2011
The head of the Syrian Catholic Church is expressing grave concern that international pressures to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad will plunge the country into civil war--with horrific consequences for the Christian community.
“It will be confessional, and war in the name of God is far worse than a political struggle,” said Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan. “Since we know enough about the situation in Iraq, we fear that the kind of pressure put on requiring the fall of the government in Syria will have very bad consequences, even worse than in Iraq.”
The patriarch instead called upon the West to advocate for full religious freedom.
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Further information:
- Mideast church leaders worried about Christians if Syria has civil war (CNS)
- Syrian Catholic Church (CNEWA)
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