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In the introductory part of his report to the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia raised the problem of global terrorism.

“Using religion and various ideologies as a cover, terrorists try to sow fear and enmity in the hearts of people and to stir up inter-religious and inter-ethnic hatred. Several heart-breaking tragedies have happened with the living memory, among them the explosion of the Russian plane over the Sinai, a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, the attack on Garissa University College in Kenya, and mass killings in Baga, Nigeria. These are just some of the atrocities committed by the terrorists in recent months. The world community is called to stop terror and restore just peace in Syria, in particular, thus setting an example for all those Middle Eastern countries where blood is being shed now,” the Primate of the Russian Church said.

“It is with deep grief that we think about Christians in Iraq, Libya, Syria and other countries of the Middle East. Many of them refuse to leave their homes, monasteries and Christian villages even in the face of death, and we once again speak of martyrs for Christ,” Patriarch Kirill continued.

“Recently, politicians have started to admit that mass killings and banishment of Christians and taking them as hostages are a real genocide committed on confessional grounds in this region. An attempt to expel Christianity from the Middle East is a tragedy of historic scale that affects the whole world,” His Holiness said.

“Let us pray that the Lord Almighty may grant strength to our brothers in Christ and wisdom to the rulers, on whom the establishment of peace in the Middle East depends, so that they might, despite their private interests, take necessary decisions before long,” the Primate of the Russian Church added.

Information Service of the Bishops’ Council/

DECR Communication Service