(AsiaNews) Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Gregory III Laham, said yesterday, “Our [Christian] presence is the essential condition for a moderate Islam, which exists thanks to the Christians. If we leave, there can be no democracy in Syria. This is supported also by the Muslims themselves, who fear the Islamist’s madness. Many say that they cannot live where there are no Christians.”
Laham said this because he thinks that a possible victory for radical Islamist will lead to a splintering of the country and thus create a dangerous, ghetto-like situation for Christians. “The Christians will be ghettoized. Without them, there can be no moderate Islam. The disappearance of Christians is a threat for the West and the Arab world.”He said elsewhere, “We must listen to the Pope’s appeal for peace in Syria. If western countries want to create true democracy then they must build it on reconciliation, through dialogue between Christians and Muslims, not with weapons. This attack being planned by the United States is a criminal act, which will only reap more victims, in addition to the tens of thousands of these two years of war.”
In a separate article from AsiaNews, urging that the future of Syria cannot be built on destruction, Laham said, “The world must understand that wars do not put an end to violence. I have personally experienced the clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land and the current one between Sunnis and Shiites in Syria. I can testify that only the position of reconciliation, peace and rejection of hatred given by the gospel can lead to a lasting solution. ”