Local Editor

Patriarch John X Yazigi was officially inaugurated as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East on Sunday at a Church in Damascus in the presence of Syrian Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mansour Azzam, representing President Bashar al-Assad.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Syrian House Speaker of the People's Assembly, Jihad al-Laham, Syria's Mufti, a number of ministers, Regional Leadership members, the Iranian Ambassador in Damascus and a large number of official, religious, social and civil figures.
In speech following his inauguration, Patriarch Yzigi stressed that Syria shall remain one family living in co-existence that is based on peace and amity.
"We as Christians are one family...we pray and work to remain so and we pray for our Muslim brethren to remain so," said the Patriarch, adding that "we are in this country one people and one family."

In parallel, he affirmed that Syria, government and people, will find the way to get out of its crisis through dialogue and the peaceful political solution so as for it to dispel the cloud of violence and restore stability and peace, expressing thanks to President al-Assad and the leadership and government in Syria.

He addressed the Muslims in Syria saying "Our dear brethren, we and you don't only share the land and destiny as we have built together the civilization of this country," calling upon the Muslims and Christians "to work together to preserve this precious legacy of Syria."
For his part, Lebanese Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Bshara Boutros al-Rai stated: "We came to Damascus to express solidarity with the Syrian people...and to stress the ties of unity and amity among us."

He further noted that all demands for the so-called "reforms, human rights and democracy are not worth the blood of one innocent man."
Al-Rai also stressed that the Church's message is that everybody is called for "preserving the human life which is invaluable."
Attending the inauguration ceremony, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mikdad, confirmed that Syria has always been one people and one religion throughout history and shall remain so.

"Syria and Lebanon are one people," Mikdad told journalists on the sidelines of the ceremony, stressing Syria's welcome of Maronite Patriarch al-Rahi "who is at home."
"Patriarch al-Rahi corrected what had been wrong for the part decades," said Mikdad.

Meanwhile, he mentioned: "This celebration which included all spectrums of the Syrian people and the most important spectrums of the Lebanese people represents a forum to say to the West "Do not interfere in our affairs...stop killing our people."

Source: SANA, Edited by moqawama.org