One of Syria’s most respected bishops is condemning the violence in Syria but is also defending the Syrian government’s response to the uprising there. He said the insurgents are “fanatics” who seek “destabilization and Islamization.”
“The fanatics speak about freedom and democracy for Syria but this is not their goal,” said Chaldean Catholic Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo. “They want to divide the Arab countries, control them, seize petrol and sell arms.”
Vatican Radio director Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., has said the situation in Syria is “especially worrisome” because of its “persistent violence” and apparent lack of solutions. In his weekly editorial for Vatican Radio, he asked that all parties reject violence and oppose “the disintegration of Syrian society.”
He cited Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the new Syrian Ambassador to the Vatican, in which the Pope called for “true reforms in political, economic and social life” and increased “respect for the truth, for the rights of peoples and communities, of coexistence and reconciliation.” The Pope recalled the tradition of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Syria, hoping it would help to further growth and praised the “generosity” with which the country has welcomed refugees, in particular refugees from Iraq.
Fr. Lombardi continued: “It is important to oppose the disintegration of this region and to speak out against the conflicts that force people to flee from one country to another: from Iraq to Syria, from Syria to Turkey … we must convert to dialogue, reconciliation and peace.”
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