DAMASCUS, Syria | Two months after their initial encounter in the wake of the tragic bombing at the Prophet Elias Church last June, Patriarch John of Antioch met once again with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, this time at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Old Damascus.
According to a statement issued by the Patriarchate of Antioch, the purpose of the meeting was to reinforce national unity and the shared values of the Syrian people. The discussion between the head of state and the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch focused primarily on the challenges facing the Christian community in Syria.
This latest meeting is viewed as particularly significant, as it comes at a time when Syria’s Christian population continues to struggle amid the political and social shifts that have followed the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, who now resides in Russia.
