The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate (BOC–BP) has once again expressed its heartfelt and unconditional brotherly support for the martyred Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate and its Primate, Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, as well as for the Holy Zion Church – the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and its Primate, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.
In a powerful statement, the Holy Synod decried the silent complicity of the global community amid the devastating violence in the Middle East. “In the first quarter of the 21st century, when human rights, personal freedoms, and the protection of minorities are widely proclaimed, the entire world has become a passive witness to the tragic events unfolding in the Middle East,” the Synod declared.
“We are witnessing how civilians — unarmed and helpless people — hundreds of men, women, children, and the elderly, are being tortured, humiliated, assaulted, and brutally murdered in Syria and other neighboring countries in the region. We cannot remain indifferent and silent in the face of the suffering, pain, and torment experienced by thousands of our brothers and sisters!”
During this period of Great Lent, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls on all Orthodox Christians within its diocese to engage in fervent daily prayer — on bended knees — for Christians suffering in Syria, historic Palestine, the Gaza Strip, and throughout the entire Middle East, as well as for every innocent human being afflicted by war, insecurity, injustice, and violence.
The Holy Synod also issued a strong appeal to international and national authorities and organizations, urging them to do everything within their power to immediately stop the violence and to protect the rights and lives of Christian minorities in Syria and the entire region.
Concluding on a prayerful note, the Synod turned to the Lord: “We prayerfully call upon the Lord and Master of our lives, our only hope, comfort, and refuge — that through the intercessions of His Most Pure Mother and all His saints, He may grant peace to the whole world!”
Source: Patriarchate of Bulgaria
