Aleppo Greek Catholic Archbishop Flees to Lebanon
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Aleppo has fled to Lebanon and his offices in the war-ravaged city have been looted, Vatican media said on Monday, amid fears over the fate of Christian minorities.
Vatican radio and the missionary news agency Fides said Jean-Clement Jeanbart initially sought refuge with some Franciscan friars in the city on Thursday last week as fighting intensified in Christian quarters of Aleppo.
Within a few hours the archdiocese had been ransacked by "unidentified groups who want to start a religious war and drag the Syrian people into a sectarian conflict," a source in the local Christian community told Fides.
The doors of the archdiocese had been forced open and several objects like computers stolen, the reports said. Jeanbart has since fled to Lebanon.
The Melkites are an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Vatican.
The reports also said the Maronite archdiocese in Aleppo and the Byzantine Christian museum of Maarrat Nahman in the city had also been damaged.
President Bashar Assad's forces last week regained control of some Christian areas in the city center that had been seized by rebels.
Jeanbart told Vatican radio that he was concerned about the presence of foreign fighters in the country and "organizations to find jihadists."
"That is why there are fundamentalists coming from Libya, Jordan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Turkey and many other countries," he said.
Many members of Syria's Christian clergy have been supportive of Assad, a member of the minority Alawite community, because of concerns that Islamists could take power in the multi-faith country.
Around 7.5 percent of Syria's 20 million inhabitants are Christian.
27 August 2012, 19:28
44
Had the world given FSA the weapons they needed, there would not be any filthy Jihadist
27 August 2012, 20:04
34
Welcome your highness to Lebanon the land who has always been the refuge of the oppressed. Our home is your home.
28 August 2012, 04:18
02
Loooooooool. Who are you kidding? When the opressed syrian maronites came to lebanon they were attacked by the druze. Then after some while, the maronites attacked the orthodox and its been like this ever since. Opressed people get even more opressed in lebanon. Just ask the iraqi christians about the racism and secterianism they face from maronites in lebanon. Lebanon is an opressor even to its own people.
28 August 2012, 07:59
01
where there any Druze at the time when syrian maronites came to Lebanon ?
27 August 2012, 23:19
42
some frustrated person in gunning down anything positive about the Arch-Bishop being in our country.... FT/Mowaten/karim_m1 perhaps?
28 August 2012, 12:50
02
Both of u, I wrote this @phoenician on another article.Who are u to decide on partition? I am muslim and would not live in a muslim country. I love my christian countrymen all the same,all my friends are christian, my fiance is christian. What u want me to get a visa to go to gemeyze??? The way you are thinking is the essence of our problem, we only think as our religions and not as Lebanese. I would also like peace with israel, I think it would be great for our economy, as long as they dont rape our people and resources, until that happens, I want to be in Lebanon, and maintain a liberal life. Lebanon is not just for you its for all of us. HA being selfish and taking our well being into their hands is not right, doesn't mean u can write off their wrong with another wrong, u basically gave up on all of us :(
28 August 2012, 00:33
15
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me."
-- Martin Niemoller, a decorated u-boat captain in the First World War
28 August 2012, 00:34
34
There are consequences when they came for the Christians in Lebanon and the Christian brethern in Syria remained silent. Now they have come for you. But we are Christians and we love each other and will always forgive a brother, so follow the trek of Mar Maroun and seek your refuge from Syria in Mother Lebanon, the last refuge of all Eastern Christian people.
28 August 2012, 00:37
62
Christians, Muslims, Jews living side by side is a possible reality. We must work towards that goal. Dividing, partitioning, doesn't solve problems... It's for incapable people.
28 August 2012, 04:13
20
What hypocrisy. If you love and forgive then why did you bring up "your brothers" misstake? And what exactly did you want them to do, after all the syrian army was invited to lebanon by the maronites. Maronites even slaughtered eachother. And who is coming after the christians of syria you think??? As much as i am against bashar, i cant accuse him of it because the christians are his backbone. Besides, the halabi christians have already said who is doing this to them and its the imported rebels that people like you support so just as you accuse syrian christians of not doing anything for you, they too can accuse you of supporting their opressor.
28 August 2012, 00:53
20
it is extremely dangerous for all lebanese to accept syrian refugees for a long period in lebanon..wether they are muslims or christians ...dont fall in the fanatic trap..for example:
the shia are 40 pct in lebanon..in the syrian umma they will be 6 pct
the christians are 8 pct in syria and 35 pct in lebanon.,.they will be 15 pct in the syrian umma...dont fall in the trap..relax,its a salafi trap like the farsi menu..just opposite.
28 August 2012, 06:43
02
@Nizar_Beirut. sorry pal, but I do feel wronged as a Lebanese Christian by the indifference of the Syrian Christian community as the Assad Regime unleashed all of the hell now let loose on the Syrian minorities. the Franfiehs, Assad's allies asked Assad into Lebanon in 1976 to deliver Lebanon from the PLO which Assad sent to Lebanon. If the Syrian Christians were the backbone of the Assad's, where were they when Assad was pounding Zahle? This is not hypocrisy, it is history, my friend. We cannot forget the indifference, but we forgive it and should now help deliver the Syrian Christians from the Islamists who are persecuting them. If it is Islamists. Assad could have done this,as he recruited Samaha to cause this problem in Akkar, to reinforce Christian support for his regime. Ever think of that?
28 August 2012, 06:45
03
The Assad's are the masters od delusion. They delude themselves and they delude and deceive everyone else. It's a survival technique that they have mastered well.
28 August 2012, 11:31
02
The Assad Regime will keep slaughtering its people till the head of the snake is cut. The Arabs are the only ones who could interfere and stop the genocide in Syria but the totalitarian nature of their regimes hampers their ability to support those who are fighting for their freedom.
02 September 2012, 13:19
00
The good shepherd doesn,t fleece his flock going to Lebanon and leaving all my Greek Catholics in Aleppo. But i know you, dear Jeanbart...
