Syrian Christians and Muslims Pray Together for Peace

22/3/2012

Damascus, Mar 22 (Prensa Latina) The Kyrillos Church in the Syrian neighborhood of al-Qasaa hosted a joint prayer for Christian and Muslim religious leaders for peace and those killed in the attacks in Damascus and Aleppo last weekend.

Local media on Thursday highlighted statements by Gregory Laham III, Patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church of Antioquia, who urged them to end this cycle of violence and called on Syrians to dialogue, reconciliation, repentance and calm to preserve unity and avert enmity.

The prayer was also chaired by the Papal ambassador in Damascus, Archbishop Mario Zenari, and several Muslim and Christian leaders.

Al-Qasaa, where prayers were held, is one of the two areas in Damascus – the other is al-Yamarek – that was a target of terrorist attacks with car bombs on March 17, as a result of which 27 people were killed and 140 were injured, some of whom are still in critical condition. Another attack occurred last Sunday in Aleppo, 335 kilometers north of Damascus.

Later on Tuesday, another car bomb exploded in Daraa province, 100 kilometers south of this capital, and another bomb exploded in Barzeh, Damascus, on Wednesday, the fifth attack over the past five days.

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