REPORT: Cardinal Rai participates in the inauguration of Patriarch Youhanna X Yazigi

The inauguration ceremony of the new Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch Youhanna X Yazigi was held on Sunday at the Church of the Holy Cross in Syria’s Qassaa with the participation of the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai.                              

This as, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mokdad arrived at the Holy Cross Church to participate in the inauguration ceremony of patriarch Youhanna X Yazigi.                                                                 

Minister Mokdad said that patriarch Rai is in his country and stressed that the Syrian crisis will end through dialogue.                      

Following his inauguration, Patriarch Youhanna X Yazigi said that Christians and Muslims are not only partners in fate, but they built together the civilization of the country that should be preserved.                           

Yazigi thanked the Syrian President Bachar Assad along with other officials and said: “We hope that Syria would find a peaceful political solution so that violence ends and peace and stability prevail in the country”.                                  

Patriarch Yazigi saluted the Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and said that anything that harms Lebanon or Syria would be harming both countries deeply.
                         
For his part, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai said that talking about democracies, reforms, and human rights is not worth shedding a drop of blood of any innocent man and stressed that everyone is passing through a difficult stage and Lebanon had previously suffered the “eloquent wound” of war.                                                                                  
As for the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Lahham, he said that the 3 Patriarch are in Syria in order to work for the unity of the Christians as well as the Christian-Islamic unity in Syria in light of these difficult days.                                                 

Meanwhile, the Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoubi said that dialogue will end the Syrian crisis and added that this national gathering is an expression that Damascus has always been for all religions.             

Yazigi was appointed a deacon in 1979 and a priest in 1983. He was the Head of the Our Lady of Balamand Monastery from 2001 to 2005. In 2008 he was elected the Metropolitan of western and central Europe.   


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