From The Church Times-THE bombing of Syrian targets, approved by the Prime Minister to “degrade the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capability”, has been condemned by Syrian church leaders.
A joint statement issued on Saturday, the morning after the strikes, denounced it as “brutal aggression” and “a clear violation of the international laws and the UN Charter, because it is an unjustified assault on a sovereign country”.
The statement was signed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, John X; the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, Ignatius Aphrem II; and the Melkite-Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, Joseph Absi.
Their view was put into perspective by the Revd Stephen Griffith, a former Anglican chaplain in Damascus: “The Churches of Syria are in captivity. Their leaders dare not criticise the government of Syria for fear of the consequences, both personally and for their communities” (Comment).
On Monday, the Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth, described the co-ordination of the strikes, carried out by British, French, and US forces, as representing “an impressive example of diplomatic energy and skill”.
More here-
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/20-april/news/world/church-leaders-divided-over-syria-air-strike
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