For days now, violence has been inflicted upon our people in Sweida before the eyes of the entire world. For days, attempts at resolution and de-escalation have continued without any result. What is happening in Sweida is a disgrace to humanity.
Since the onset of the recent events, Patriarch John X has been closely monitoring the situation on the ground through direct and ongoing communication with Metropolitan Antonios S. Saad, Metropolitan of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal al-Arab. His Beatitude has also been in contact with various local figures and community leaders in the region and its surroundings, most notably the Spiritual Leadership (Mashyakhat al-‘Aql) of the Druze community in Lebanon.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East joins its voice with those of the wise and rational around the world, calling for an end to the bloodshed in Sweida. The Patriarchate commends the regional and international mediation efforts aimed at halting these massacres, which target the fabric of coexistence among all communities. It also echoes the repeated recent appeals made by its faithful in Sweida, voiced through Metropolitan Antonios Saad.
As we remain steadfast in hope, we reaffirm our faith and, through that faith, our rejection of fear and intimidation. We pray that the Lord God may guide the ship of our salvation through the storms of this world—He who is blessed forevermore
