Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East met the metropolitans and bishops of the dioceses in Syria in the convent of Our Lady in Blemmana.
The meeting included the metropolitans: Saba Esber (Houran), George Abou Zakham (Homs), Basilios Mansour (Akkar), Nicolas Baalbaky (Hama), Athanasios Fahed (Latakia), and bishops: Moussa El Khoury, Dimitri Charbak, Elia Toumeh, and Efraim Maalouli.
The meeting dealt with imminent issues, especially those related to the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the preventive measures imposed on the church and society to limit the spread. They decided to reopen all churches and monasteries in Syria to host the collective prayers and divine liturgy, taking into account the required precautions.
The Fathers also stopped at the difficult living conditions resulting from the surrounding regional and global circumstances, and stressed the necessity of directing all church activities towards mutual support and aid for the needy.
Source: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
