With tensions growing stronger with the current situation in Syria, a universal voice of Christianity arises among the fight. Even though the Christian population of Syria is a small percentage (10% according to the CIA’s World Factbook), the strength of their message is as loud as a storm.
On Saturday, a majority of the Christians made their voices heard as they gathered into Our Lady of Dormition, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus. While these Christians held a vigil asking God to give them strength as well as peace, Gregory III Laham, a Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic denomination, exclaimed the following to the group of worshippers who attended the Our Lady of Dormition vigil.
“We thank all those who, at the United Nations, are working for peace so that there would not be any strike on Syria. I tell the young people, ‘stay here’. We will stay in Syria. We will stay here, both Christians and Muslims.”
The Christians who attended the vigil have been outraged by the violence that has recently shook Maalula, a Syrian town that symbolizes Christianity, and where its residents speak Aramaic, the native tongue spoken by Jesus. As the violence continues in Maalula, many children gathered outside the town’s cathedral holding up signs reading “Maalula is burning, save it!”
According to Yahoo! News, the Syrian Government has not been that keen on claiming responsibility for these attacks on their Christian-based regions. President Bashar al-Assad, along with his government, denies any responsibility for the attacks mentioned. Various Christians in Syria have taken to Twitter to protest their beliefs and opinions pertaining to this violent ordeal, including the user below, who stands strong with her faith in this crisis:
Not every Christian loves Assad. I am a Syrian Christian and I in no way support this monsterous, murderous regime #Syria
— N i N w A (@nanoushxOx) September 8, 2013
[Image source: Twitter]