The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an appeal for peace amidst the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip.
The Synod highlighted the Holy Land’s long-standing multicultural mosaic, home to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. However, the statement laments that respect for coexistence is being overshadowed by hatred and violence, plunging the region into a “vicious circle” with unforeseeable consequences.
The Synod expressed solidarity with the Church of Jerusalem, including Patriarch Theophilos III, Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, and the suffering Christian community in Gaza, calling them “the long-suffering flock of the ‘Mother of Churches.’”
Turning to prayer, the Synod asks God, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and Saint Porphyrios of Gaza, to “protect, strengthen, and have mercy on all Christians and every human being” in the region. The Church also called upon international organizations and political leaders to take immediate and effective action for peace talks and a resolution to the conflict.
The address concludes with a prayerful plea: “May the Bethlehem peace of the Lord Jesus Christ… illumine every human heart, reign among us, and never leave us!”
Read the full message issued by the Holy Synod of the BOC-BP on the situation in the Gaza Strip
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you (John 14:27)
From the time of the Old Testament to the present day, the Holy Land has been home to a diverse array of peoples, each with their own unique cultures, religions, customs, and traditions.
To this day, the land of present-day Israel, as well as the entire historic region of Palestine, is a multicultural mosaic, with thousands of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families embedded like multicolored pebbles.
A condition for the peaceful coexistence of these nationalities and cultures has been respect for the other, for his freedom and rights to life and religion. To our great regret, today we are witnessing hatred that leads to confrontation and mutual destruction in the Holy Land.
These processes, which began mostly after the end of the Second World War, are today entering a “vicious circle” with unforeseeable consequences. History proves that violence begets violence, which – if not deterred and stopped in time – leads to enormous tragedies.
As Orthodox Christians we cannot be indifferent and indifferent. Today, thousands of our brothers and sisters are placed in inhuman conditions in the Gaza Strip.
We express our fraternal support to His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem, to the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, to His Eminence Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias, Patriarchal Commissioner in Gaza, to the sacred clergy and the long-suffering flock of the “Mother of Churches” – the Holy Church of Jerusalem.
We turn our gaze with fervent heartfelt prayer to the God of peace, Who, through the heavenly intercession of His Most Blessed Mother, to Saint Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza, and to all His saints, protect, strengthen and have mercy on all Christians, as well as every human being, within the borders of the Gaza Strip, the territory of Israel and Palestine.
We call on all competent international organizations, political leaders and statesmen for immediate effective action to end the conflict and for peace negotiations between the opposing parties.
May the Bethlehem peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, born for our salvation, illumine every human heart, reign among us and never leave us!
