Syrian Patriarch calls for unity among Christians

 Berlin, 17.06.2013 (KAP) Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham is calling for more unity among Syrian Churches. Right now that the situation is aggravated, the local Syrian Churches should speak with a common voice, the patriarch said in an interview to the German Catholic News Agency (KNA) in Berlin at the start of the Syrian delegation’s trip to Germany. The German policy of military restraint plays an important role. Along with other Western countries, it could influence the conflict in Syria, emphasised the Patriarch of the Greek Catholic Church in communion with Rome: "We need a big gesture of solidarity, not only for the Church but for the people." The conflict has brought much destruction, and the Churches should help rebuild. The patriarch considered it important for the people of Germany to hear the voice of the local Churches in Syria "and not just always the same media coverage." He continued: "Our experiences don’t come from television programmes. We have contact with our people, and we see what is happening. Kidnappings, murders and people who have to flee and leave everything: that is what we are experiencing."