SYRIA: Any meeting on Syria should be held in Syria, says Greek Catholic Patriarch at Palm Sunday mass

Record ID: 280540

  • Title: SYRIA: Any meeting on Syria should be held in Syria, says Greek Catholic Patriarch at Palm Sunday mass
  • Date: 2nd April 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (APRIL 1, 2012) (REUTERS) ZAITOUN CHURCH BELLS RINGING PEOPLE WAITING IN FRONT OF CHURCH WOMAN LIGHTING CANDLE INSIDE OF CHURCH CLOSE OF CANDLES
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVABCT4DEPS0V8GENX5EQ6DNYU0N
  • Story Text: Any meeting for Syria should be held in Syria not in any other country, Gregorios III Lahham, Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and the East in Syria said on Sunday (April 1) as he celebrated the mass for Syrian Christians in Damascus.
    "What do we want from this meeting (Friends of Syria)? Today, we are in Syria and not Istanbul. Let us pray for Syria in Syria," he told Reuters after the Palm Sunday Mass.
    The "Friends of Syria" meeting ended on Sunday in Istanbul with the participants including USA, Turkey and the Gulf states offering full support to U.N. Arab League Envoy Kofi Annan's mission.
    "I hope we all participate in Syria's meeting in Syria. This would be the right meeting. Any conference should be held in Syria, not anywhere else," Lahham added.
    Syrian Christians, who represent 11 percent of the total population in the country, decided not to hold any celebrations but masses for Easter holiday this year as the crisis in Syria continues.
    Syria has been living for a year in troubles when protests kicked-off against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
    Syrian government, backed by China and Russia, says armed groups are killing and sabotaging the country.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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