Patriarch of Antioch for holding the Assembly of Orthodoxy in Damascus
Patriarch John X supported the idea of holding a meeting of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy in Syria.
Patriarch John X of Antioch expressed support for holding the next meeting of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO) in the Syrian capital Damascus, reports Interfax-Religion.
On May 26, 2021, Patriarch John X took part in a meeting with a delegation of the State Duma of Russia, whose members are part of the IAO, which today unites Orthodox deputies from 27 states. “We support the idea of organizing a visit of the IAO delegation to Damascus,” the Patriarch of Antioch said.
As noted by the Russian parliamentarians, the meeting had already been planned in Syria and was agreed with the President of the country Bashar al-Assad, but it had to be postponed because of the pandemic. Preparations for a new IAO meeting will begin in the near future.
As reported, the head of the GOC regrets the split of Orthodoxy and hopes for reconciliation with the ROC, said Sergei Gavrilov, Chairman of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IAO), a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
