Statement
Antioch Prays! Antioch Beseechs!
On the eve of Pentecost and at the invitation of Patriarchs John X Yaziji and Ignatius Zakka Iwas I, in order to pray for the safety and return of the Metropolitans Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim and other abductees, the faithful believers assembled at Our Lady of Balamand Monastery, expressing their solidarity with the hostages and renewing their condemnations of all such acts.
Following the prayers in the Monastery church, the attendees processed with candles and ending in the courtyard of the Monastery, where Patriarch John X concluded the vigil with a few words in the form of a joint statement, in which he said:
“The life of the two Metropolitans has been an ongoing witness to their works; we bow before these with homage and gratitude. They never stopped calling and working for justice, life and brotherly love. They taught the spirit of dedication and service to every human being. They were sincerely devoted to the faith and committed both to their parish and country.
Their silence has pierced the wall of heaven, and their prayers have brought many blessings on us. Despite the ongoing pain in our hearts which has lasted for two months now, we feel deeply that their endurance is solid and great! It strengthens us and attracts many people from around the world to join us in this great spiritual battle until their deliverance is achieved, which we hope will take place soon.
To my beloved sons of Aleppo, we are amazed by your persistence, hearty prayers, and your unprecedented hope at this critical time. The Good Shepherd has adopted us, He who gave up Himself for His beloved ones in every place and at all times. He does not leave us as orphans and bereaved; instead He gives us certain power for a battle in which He has already trained us. He is the mastermind of our salvation, who takes care of our affairs, leads our lives in this difficult time to a safe haven, bedrock, hope and a real certainty.
To you my fellow citizens, the sons of Syria, it hurts our soul to see what is happening in our homeland, and how these overwhelming circumstances are being so destructive. We pray that our faith in the holy God will be the basis and foundation of unity rather than of segregation and we resolve rather than to escalate the crisis, to establish peace rather than confrontation, to be life rather than death. Let us raise the sound of justice and truth over injustice and falsehood. How can we underestimate the sound of conscience that is the voice of God? Has conscience become buried to be displayed later in history? Have human beings lost their value? They do not deserve to be terrorised but now rather they should be rescued. Why this determination to ignore the human right to life?
We are also grateful for the solidarity of our Christian and Muslim brothers, manifested in their quest to release the Metropolitans, and for the great concern they have shown and are still showing in regards to the silence surrounding their fate.
To our fellows in Humanity, we salute you for sending humanitarian aid, for the healing of wounds, for the dissemination of goodness and the combination of efforts to reach peace.
We also highly appreciate the efforts of the State and Security Services which work to get confirmed news about the Metropolitans Paul and John, but we, nevertheless wonder about their inability in this regard: Are they really incapable of doing anything? We believe that the fate of the Metropolitans is ultimately in the hands of God. However, it does not exempt anyone from the responsibility of working hard to release them as soon as possible.”
At the end, the speech was addressed to the kidnappers, with the following words:
“It is a blessing that you are beside their Eminence. Do not hold this blessing to yourselves, but rather share it with us again, so that they may be more beneficial to all, and the Lord will be merciful and forgiving.”