I write to you today as our President and the US Congress contemplate military action against Syria. As those of us with deep roots in that land already know, more bombs and destabilisation of the country will only lead to further bloodshed and devastation. In my opinion, based on a lifetime of knowledge in that area of the world, it doesn’t serve the interests of the USA, nor those of the Syrian people (or the people of the Middle East at large for that matter) to bomb and further destabilise the country. Extremists groups such as al-Qaeda wait in the wings to prey on any weakness in the Syrian government and infrastructure. The results of such a bombing would be yet another step in the extermination of our Christian presence in the Middle East, a presence that dates to the dawn of Christianity. Our Church has already suffered greatly and has new martyrs awaiting glorification… we don’t need any more! Therefore, I urge all of you during the next few days to contact your respective Senators and Representatives to urge them to vote NO to any unilateral American military action in Syria. Time is of the essence, so, please, distribute this e-mail to everyone you know as quickly as possible, and share this message on Facebook and other social networking sites.

******

An Open Letter to President Obama Regarding the Situation in Syria

We write to you with a heavy heart having heard the recent news of the attack on the ancient Syrian Christian town of Ma’loula by the rebel forces. This town houses one of the oldest and most important monasteries, the Covent of Mar Taqla, which is considered a holy place by both Christians and Muslims. This attack by rebel forces supported by the US government was an unspeakable act of terror, and it speaks volumes of the viciousness of those rebel forces that seek to overthrow the Syrian government. Apparently, nothing’s sacred to these people, and it’s very disturbing that our government supported these people. Mr President, we appeal to your humanity, and to your compassion for people to halt consideration of any American military action against the Syrian government. This would be a deadly and costly action, and you’d gain nothing by it. Indeed, if chemical weapons were used (and this is still to be determined by the UN inspectors who recently returned from Syria), there’s no compelling evidence which points to the use of these weapons by the Syrian government. On the contrary, there’s some compelling evidence that rebel forces had both the means and the will to launch such a heinous attack against innocent people, Christians and Muslims alike, who’re all children of God. May our Lord and God guide you to find a peaceful solution that relies on negotiation, not bombs.

3/6 September 2013

Antiochian.org

http://www.antiochian.org/metropolitan-philip-urges-faithful-contact-congress-syria-vote

http://www.antiochian.org/open-letter-president-obama-regarding-situation-syria