Melkite Patriarch of Damascus calls for urgent dialogue between government and youth

The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch
Gregorios III Laham, speaking about the ‘Arab spring’ in an indirect
address to President Bashar al-Assad, called for interaction between the
government and younger Syrians currently in the opposition. 

He made the
point in a message to Syrian Muslims on the feast of ‘Fitr’ (breaking
‘the fast’) that ends the month of Ramadan. The event begins tonight and
continues for three days.



In his address, the patriarch mentioned the ‘Arab spring, which has
turned into a ‘hot summer’ in which the “revolutions brought bloodshed
to the Arab and Muslim world, destroying man, hearts, sentiments,
brotherhood and compassion, as well as public and private institutions,
causing thousands of victims, dead and wounded.”



In his message, Gregorios III also mentioned what, in his view, should
have occurred, criticising the attitudes of Arab governments as well the
governments of the United States and Europe.

“We expected that in such
tragic circumstances, the Arab world would have done something, that
Arab and Muslim nations would have organised one summit after the other
to study the pain and aspirations of their peoples, that they would have
interacted with the revolutions of younger generations, that together,
they would have analysed the cause and limits of these revolutions, the
range and goals, risks and opportunities that they could represent for
all of us, instead of allowing foreign forces, whatever their
intentions, to interfere and meddle in our affairs, dictate to us their
ideas, threaten our governments, call for our presidents to resign and
leave their countries, and force those who had been the symbols of our
Arab countries to be removed and put on humiliating trials.”



“It is never too late,” the patriarch said in what appeared to be an
address to all Arab leaders, but was in fact meant for the president of
Syria. “There is still a possibility for the leaders of our Arab and
Muslim worlds to be serious about the slogans that echo in the streets
of our capitals, cities and villages, to heed them and turn them into a
joint Arab action plan, even an Islamic-Christian plan, in order to
build a better world for our peoples, especially the young generations.”



“We cannot,” he added, “and do not have the right to ignore these
voices, slogans and demands, whatever their overt or covert motivations
may be. Our Arab world needs, we are convinced, an intellectual,
spiritual and social revolution.”



For Gregorios III such a revolution must be non-violent, and must not
adopt the model that some TV media have suggested since the start of the
year.



From the point of view of the future and with some "captatio
benevolentiae" for the head of state, the patriarch said that we must
work “for a civilised Arab society in which social, confessional and
ethnic differences disappear, in which our hopes for justice, equality,
dignity, religious and personal freedom can be realised, in which we
fight against corruption and develop the countryside, a society that
helps the poor and the victims of injustice, especially in rural areas,
where nature may not have been generous and modernisation may be
lagging. It is a matter of working together to implement what is
necessary to achieve political, social and domestic reform, which
President Bashar al-Assad has promoted and continues to promote.”



In concluding, “We want to build a better society,” the patriarch said,
“based on a civilisation of peace, brotherhood and love among the many
different confessions that have lived side by side for centuries.”

Source