Lasting Peace in Middle East Linked to Justice, Not Violence

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said that he felt the "pain of all Christians who are oppressed today" inside the Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa.

SAO PAULO (Sputnik) – A lasting peace in Syria and the Middle East can only be linked with justice and is unachievable through war and violence, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said Sunday.

"As we did yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, today in Sao Paulo we pray for those who are persecuted, killed only because they are Christians…War and violence never achieve lasting peace. Lasting peace is always associated with justice," Patriarch Kirill said.

Speaking at the largest Antiochian Orthodox Church in Latin America, whose jurisdiction spreads to Syria, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern states, Patriarch Kirill said he felt the "pain of all Christians who are oppressed today" inside the Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa.

Recalling a historic February 12 meeting with Pope Francis in the Cuban capital and a joint communique urging global action to stop the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, Patriarch Kirill stressed the need to "overcome differences and organize a common coalition against terrorism."

"The declaration focuses attention on the persecuted, the suffering Christians and gives us a basis for joint action not only to protect them, but also on many other issues for a more peaceful world and for people to learn to live together," he added.

Wrapping up his February 11-22 Latin American tour, Patriarch Kirill left the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God to the church and icons of Christ for each of the more than 1,000 worshipers, church leaders, members of the Syrian and Lebanese diaspora, and the mayor of Sao Paulo.