The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III has also said: “I do not understand why the world does not raise its voice against such acts of brutality.”
Here is why: “Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.” — Robert McManus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, February 8, 2013
“For Gregorios III, the destruction of Ma’aloula churches is a ‘war crime,'” by Fady Noun, Asia News, April 22:
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Gregorios III Laham, Greek-Melkite Catholics patriarch of Antioch, described the destruction of Ma’aloula churches as “a war crime”.
On Sunday, he was able to visit the historic Christian village, after the Syrian army retook it from the Islamist al-Nusra Front.
“It is the mystery of iniquity that one sees at work,” he said, unable to find words strong enough to translate the feelings at the sight of desolation before him.
“It is the devastation of the Temple, the mystery of iniquity,” he said in a telephone interview from Beirut, the night of his visit.
The Greek-Catholic patriarch travelled to the village with Greek-Orthodox Patriarch Youhanna Yazigi and representatives of the Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Syriac Catholic Patriarchates, accompanied by some journalists and security officers.
A little later, he also paid a visit to the Syrian head of state, who was also visiting the village.
“An apocalyptic spectacle presented itself. Other churches have been destroyed in Syria, but I have never seen anything like this. I cried and I sought in vain a moment of solitude to pray. I am heartbroken,” the prelate said again.
“Ma’aloula’s four historic churches were hit. Our parish church, dedicated to Saint George, is riddled with bullets. The convent’s dome was damaged in two places. The walls were ripped open by cannon fire. Some parts of the convent is in danger of collapsing and must be rebuilt. The icons are scattered on the floor, dirty, or stolen. It is currently completely uninhabitable.”
“In the Convent of Saints Sarkis and Bakhos (pictured), the historic pagan altar, converted into a Christian altar, the only one of this kind, is broken in two.”
The same spectacle of devastation can be seen in the Greek-Orthodox churches of St Elijah and St Tecla.
In Gregorios III’s opinion, Ma’aloula’s devastation is “an organised crime,” a “war crime.”
The London Charter (1946) defines war crimes as “plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity”.
“There is no military justification for the vandalism,” the patriarch said. “There is an impression that it was orchestrated.”
“Why did they turn our churches into defensive positions?” he wondered, as he tried to understand all these destructions.
With bitterness, Gregorios III accuses the Western world of being blind about the truth of the war in Syria.
In his view, this is absolutely not a “Syrian War” or a “civil war.” Of course, the conflict partly involves Muslims fighting among themselves, but it is not a war between Islam and Christianity. It is an “organised crime.”
In terms of security, Ma’aloula residents can now think about returning, the patriarch said, despite the uncertainty surrounding the situation of utilities (electricity, water, telephones).
Some young people, he added, are returning to inspect the homes and study the possibility of coming back.
However, Gregorios III draws attention to the difficulties that there will be “in repairing the social bond” between Ma’aloula Christians and Muslims.
Some Muslim families in the village sided with Islamist insurgents and the rebuilding of trust will be a problem. Many young people do not want a superficial reconciliation, and “hypocritical hugs.”
The Church has a duty to prevent that the entire Muslim population be assimilated with what some have done. Christians, he believes, should not live in a ghetto.
For him, this is the real conspiracy. It aims at tearing apart the social fabric of Syrian society, which never had discord between Muslims and Christians.
Some behaviours, in his eyes, have been barbarous and can only be explained by a desire to destroy “deep” Syria.
In support of his views, he mentioned the atrocious death, in front of witnesses, of a baker in Adra, a small town near Damascus. The unfortunate man was thrown alive along with his children into the bakery oven in which he had freshly baked bread for the Islamist fighters.
Gregorios III slams the “criminal indifference with which the Western world, under the false pretext of defending democracy, continues to watch this spectacle of destruction.”
Noting that there still is no news about six abducted Ma’aloula residents, or the Greek-Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox bishops of Aleppo, who have been missing for more than a year, he ended saying, “We must absolutely prevent the virus of hatred from spreading”.
mariam rove says
doesn’t he know that Obama is deaf? M
Infi says
Islam was always a genocidal fake religion, invented by a fake prophet called Mohammed and worshiping a fake deity called Allah.
It was always Satanic in nature and conduct and remains so to this day.
Unfortunately many gullible Christians, Jews, Hindus and Atheists incorrectly assume that it worships a deity similar their own and largely followes similar morals and ethics.
This is patently not the case.
In Gaza, Hamas is the nearest to spelling out the Islamic view of and their genocidal intentions against Judaism and the Jews, as explicitly stated in the Hamas “Covenant” and elucidated upon in Article Seven thereof.
The Jews naively believe that Muslims will ultimately discover and rectify the errors of their ways, and one day will revert to behaving like decent human beings.
The Christians, Hindus and Atheists naively fail to acknowledge that they are also targeted by the Islamists and serve as targets to Islamist genocidal intentions and plans. They are not exempt – only second in line.
Obama is not deaf to the Islamist genocidal maniacs. Hussein Barak Obame was born, raised and educated as a Muslim. He is a fake Christian, who aids and abetts the Isalamist Genocidal movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Alice says
I agree that it’s criminal. We need to pray more for these people, since we cannot convince our dear leaders t do anything about it.
mortimer says
Bishop McManus,
It is “criminal indifference” not to speak a word in defense of Christians in the Near East.
razan says
” but it is not a war between Islam and Christianity ”
Yeah, and I’m the queen of england
Simon says
One needs to remember that the West’s economic interests are tied to the Saudis and OPEC. The dollar is kept afloat by oil sales denominated in US dollars and no other currency can come close. US self sufficiency in oil production has nothing to do with it. Syrian Christians are just forgotten about in the overall world economic/political alliances.
Terry says
“Our Father, which art in Heaven,” has not forgotten. “My lord, My God,” soon returns to rule! “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”
Joseph says
“We must absolutely prevent the virus of hatred from spreading”.
Talk about equivocation and denial.
He stands amid the debris of a church destroyed by Muslims waging jihad against Christians and blames…”hatred”.
Just say it, Patriarch: “the virus of …ISLAM…from spreading.”
Because clearly implied in his statement is the idea that (heaven forbid) now the Christians will be tempted to “hate” the Muslims of Maaloula for betraying them to the jihadists. Or (gasp) even plan to defend themselves next time.
Implied message: the real problem is “hatred”, not Islam itself. Analogous to the West’s war on [not ISLAM] but…”terror”.
The Patriarch rightly chides the West for its indifference. But he speaks in equivocal terms and implies that somehow the problem is with “hatred” in general and not with Islam itself. And so he is actually contributing to the obfuscation which allows the West to remain indifferent.
dumbledoresarmy says
Yes.
He is, alas, quite badly dhimmified.
He is still unable to look steadily right at Islam, at Muslims, at the texts of Islam, and see there – in Islam itself, and in those enslaved by it – the blackness of the Void.
From the article –
“Some [sic: I bet it was more than a few – dda] Muslim families in the village sided with Islamist insurgents [and the rest stood on the sidelines and did nothing to help their suffering Christian neighbours? – betcha – dda] and the rebuilding of trust will be a problem.”
“The rebuilding of trust will be a problem”. Understatement of the year. Because *some * of the Christians have seen the masks come off all those Muslim neighbours’ falsely-smiling faces, to reveal snarls of demonic hatred; and they are *not* going to trust Muslims, because they *can’t*.
” Many young people do not want a superficial reconciliation, and “hypocritical hugs.”’
{Good. I hope they maintain that attitude. And perhaps they should sneak off to self-defence classes of some kind, and practise fighting, even if only with quarter-staffs. – dda}
“The Church has a duty to prevent that the entire Muslim population be assimilated with what some have done. ”
Ah yes, the “tiny minority of extremists” canard. Unfortunately, dear clergyman, the awful truth is that the entire Ummah was on board – whether actively or passively – with what the jihadis were doing, because what the jihadis were doing is entirely consistent with *normative Islam*. – dda
“Christians, he believes, should not live in a ghetto.”
The Christians of Syria already *are* in a ghetto. They have been in a ghetto – in the Predator Pit that is dhimmi status, whether de jure or de facto – for some 1300 years, ever since control of their country was seized by the Mohammedan Mob.
“For him, this is the real conspiracy. It aims at tearing apart the social fabric of Syrian society, which never had discord between Muslims and Christians.”
Has this priest never heard of al wala wa al baraa, loyalty and enmity? Has he never allowed himself to think about the hostile division that classical Islam draws, between dar al Harb and dar al Islam? Has he ever meditated upon Surah 48:29, which states flatly that Muslims are cruel/ harsh/ stern toward unbelievers,a nd compassionate only to one another [not that they *are* compassionate to one another, really; the habit of cruelty cultivated toward the kuffar “spills over” all too readily into Muslim treatment of fellow Muslims]?
And as for the idea that in “Syrian society” there was NEVER “discord between Muslims and Christians”???
ROFLMAO.
ANYONE who consults Bat Yeor’s monumental tomes – The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam, and The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam – will learn differently. Muslims have oppressed, abused, robbed, raped and KILLED, KILLED, KILLED Christians in Syria, at regular intervals throughout the entire period of the Muslim imperium. Just as Muslims have done to every other non-Muslim population, anywhere that they (the Muslims) have achieved dominance, whether numerical and/ or political.
There is a crying need for an Arabic translation of Mark Durie’s “The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude and Freedom” and its companion volume, “Liberty to the Captives”. And then they could be regularly broadcast over the radio, so as to be heard, one hopes, by people like this deeply-dhimmified Syrian Christian priest.
bill says
Note that this is not the Russian branch of Orthodoxy, otherwise he would know full well it has been the ‘dog in the manger’ attitude of Putin which has put the stopper on any real action by the West. Intervention should have been swift and early. There were no jihadist present in Syria from all over the Middle East when the Syrian people first protested againt the Assad regime. The Russian church is well in cahoots with the Putin regime/dictatorship, as was evidenced by the Pussy Riot incident. It seems very content with the high degree of corruption in Russia at all levels of society. A truly Christian church would be speaking out against the many sins and crimes of the Russian kleptocracy.
gravenimage says
Unfortunately, Bill, the West was poised to intervene *on the side of the Jihadists*. In most cases, this was because useful idiots like the otherwise decent John McCain has swallowed the line that the “rebels” are just opposing the oppressive and corrupt Assad regime.
They seem not to have noticed that these are all Jihadists who want to slaughter Christians and impose Shari’ah.
Ian Marshall says
Alice, love, we can all pray if we feel like it. Gregorios prayed, but not only is that all he can do or ever will, but also praying won`t do any good and never did. Religion poisons everything; since there is no god, there is no antidote.
gravenimage says
This has nothing to do with “religion” in general, but with Islam in particular.
After all, it is not Christians, or Jews, or Buddhists, or Hindus slaughtering people of other faiths here—just pious Muslims, and they are doing so per the tenets of Islam itself.
Emilio says
My Christian fellows, want safety? full human rights? freedom of religion? freedom of speech?
Then – Support Israel!
If the hypocritic liberals would let Israel do it’s thing such events wouldn’t happen.
Actually my mom is Christian, and she has told that Christian are being slaughtered because they are cowards, I can’t deny it’s right.
As a son of a Druze and Christian – I’m gladly saying I’m proud of my country Israel, I hope you support us as well.
A strong Israel means strong minorities that fight the facsist Jihadi’s.
Kepha says
Emilio, some of the things you say are major reasons why a lot of us Western Christians–even if we are not Dispensational Fundamentalists–support Israel.
I, for one, do not hold that the gathering of the Jews in their ancient homeland necessarily marks the beginning of the “end times”. I believe that the Chosen People are gathered about Messiah, whether they are Jew or Gentile, rather than in any specific land. Modern Israel I see as another instance of nation rising against nation as Jesus prophesied.
But I also note that your country is one that respects its minorities, legally recognizes a wide range of liberties, and has found its worst enemies among the cruel, dishonest, and tyrannical. Hence, I pray God would preserve it.
I hate the idea of slaughter and all-out intercivilizational war. In my career, I’ve dealt with the human flotsam of Cambodia’s long civil war, edited reporting on the Rwandan crisis, and testify that even from a safe distance, such things are horrifying. Hence, while there is ever a chance that Muslims will turn from the falsehoods of Muhammad to the truth that is in the Messiah, I will seek peace–for I believe that it is to peaceableness that God has called us. However, I also recognize that the state has the duty to protect the people, and that a Christian may justly take up arms in certain situations. May God not enter into such a judgment with us, but if it must come, I’ll see how an old man can be helpful to his own people.
gravenimage says
Emilio wrote:
Actually my mom is Christian, and she has told that Christian are being slaughtered because they are cowards, I can’t deny it’s right.
……………………………
Emilio, I agree with you that Christians everywhere should support Israel—the only country in the Middle East that offers *all* her citizens equal rights.
I do support Israel, and I’m proud to see Israeli Christians like yourself doing likewise. Robert Spencer ran an article about just that recently.
But—with respect—you and your mom are way off base about Christians in Syria deserving to be slaughtered.
Christians in Syria are less than 9% of the population, they have long been oppressed, and right now they are living in a Jihad zone. The idea that these people deserve their fate unless they fight back is—I’m sorry—appalling. If they *did* fight back, they would face immediate genocide.
What *really* bothers me is not the “cowardice” of Christians in such straits, but that of Christians—and others—in the West, who should be speaking out against the violence being done to these people.
ploome says
I am sure,as soon as the Pope find out about these outrageous targeting and slaughter of Christiansby muslims
he will hurry and condemn Israel
heh
Margarita says
Even the present Pope is not of any help to these persecuted Christians in Islamic countries like Syria, Egypt and Pakistan. Pope has got power to openly demand American president Obama to warn the erring counties about the treatment of Christians. But sadly he turns the other way, advising Christians jut to pray!