Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,

With fervent prayer and immense concern, we are monitoring daily the developments in Syria. Since the fall of the Assad regime, the situation for the Christians in that tragic land has become extremely serious.

We urgently beseech the United Nations and all relevant international human rights organizations to move quickly to protect the Christians of Syria. In a recent phone conversation with His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed, “on behalf of the Holy Church of Christ the Great and himself personally, his intense concern for the situation of the Hierarchy, the clergy and the people of the historic Church of Antioch, and his absolute support for it, for its safety and stability.”

In pledging “the unwavering support of the Mother Church of Constantinople,” His All-Holiness emphasized “the enduring unity and fraternal bonds between the two Patriarchates during these trying times.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew “offered prayers to Almighty God, asking for peace to prevail in the hearts of all and for stability and reconciliation to be restored in Syria.”

The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate join in the appeal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate “to all competent political leaders to respect the life and integrity of all people, as well as the historical monuments of Syria’s Christianity and its cultural heritage in general.”

We also applaud the call of the Patriarchate of Antioch for “wisdom, solidarity, and collective action.” Under the wise guidance of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, the Patriarchate also “called for unwavering trust in God’s mercy and guidance, urging all Syrians to remain steadfast in their love for their homeland and committed to safeguarding the dignity of their fellow citizens.”

We likewise are heartened by the statement of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the Hellenic Republic, who emphasized “Greece’s important role in Syria, stating that Greece is de facto playing the role of spiritual protector of the Greek Orthodox, whose security is a primary concern for Athens.”

Let us all continue in prayer that, by God’s grace, the courageous and long-suffering Christians of Syria will be able to continue to live there in peace, freedom, and security, and that the extraordinary Christian heritage of Syria would be preserved. Anything less than this would be a heart-rending and irreplaceable loss for the Middle East and the entire world.

Yours in the service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,