ROC expresses support for the Patriarch of Antioch over killings in Syria

Patriarch John and Patriarch Kirill. Photo: Moscow Patriarchate's website

March 12, 2025 – Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), has sent a message of support to Patriarch John of Antioch in response to the mass killings of Syrian civilians by Islamist authorities.

"Having received alarming news about the tragic events in Syria and the deaths of many innocent people, including our Christian brethren, I wish to express my sincere support to Your Beatitude and the Apostolic Church of Great Antioch under your leadership," wrote Patriarch Kirill.

He assured Patriarch John that the ROC "has also experienced the bitter trials of suffering" in its history and is therefore "offering fervent prayers in this time of trial for the Sister Church of Antioch and its faithful children."

Patriarch Kirill attached a statement from the ROC’s Department for Church Relations with Society and Media, which stated that "armed groups have taken it upon themselves to use weapons without legal grounds and without any control from the authorities, launching mass persecutions and killings of ethnic and religious groups, including Alawites, Muslims, and Christians."

The statement underscored that "numerous cases of the killing of unarmed individuals, children, and the elderly have been recorded. There is every reason to believe that these persecutions are being carried out on religious and ethnic grounds."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Phanar had also expressed support for the Antiochian Patriarchate in response to the killings in Syria.

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