Patriarch Yazigi: Syria's diversity is element of strength

Patriarch John X Yazigi of Antioch and All the East for Greek Orthodox Church stressed on Tuesday that the Syrian Christians and Muslims are one family bound by amity and tolerance, calling for rallying all Syrian efforts for Syria to go back as proud as it has ever been. During an Iftar banquet held in Tartous, Patriarch Yazigi said, "this fraternal meeting expresses the genuine image of Syria." For his part, Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed stressed that Christianity and Islam were first revealed on this soil. He added that the enemies of Syria wanted to destroy the coexistence pattern and the social fabric of Syria, but their efforts were doomed to failure thanks to the awareness of the Syrian people. Earlier, Patriarch Yazigi met religious and popular figures as he stressed that the diversity for which Syria is distinguished is an element of strength.