With utmost disbelief and great sorrow, we have received news of the unprecedented and horrific crimes being committed these days against Christians and minority Islamic groups – Alawites and Shiites – in ancient and martyrdom-marked Syria.
 
For us, Orthodox Christians, every man, regardless of faith or nationality, is an image of God and a preserver of the sanctity of life. Hence, our grief is even greater, as in recent days, thousands of innocent and defenseless Syrians have become victims of torture and suffering at the hands of those who are now the official authorities.
 
I have said many times before, and I repeat now, that the East and the West are interconnected vessels, and the suffering currently endured by the people of Syria can easily spread to other parts of the world. Therefore, I cry out and appeal from the throne of the greatest peacemaker among the Serbian people – Saint Sava, to all responsible actors, both in Syria and within the international community, to take immediate and concrete steps to protect the endangered population and put an end to these atrocities.
 
I also beseech the entire pleroma of the Serbian Church, our people, and clergy to add sincere prayers to their Great Lenten ascetic efforts – for the repose of the souls of all Syrian sufferers, and for the comfort and protection of all their loved ones. By praying for their well-being and peace in their country, we will prove ourselves as true children of our Heavenly Father and as genuine multipliers and guardians of peace and goodness amid the all-encompassing chaos of today's world.
 
I extend my special prayerful, compassionate, and fraternal love and support to the true friend of the Church of Saint Sava, His Beatitude Patriarch of Antioch and All the East kyr John, and to his sacred clergy, who, fearlessly, like the martyrs of the early centuries, continue to bear witness to God’s love.