Moscow (AsiaNews
) - While he did not officially join the prayer vigil called by the Pope for
peace in Syria, the Russian Orthodox Church is now joining the chorus of
religious leaders from around the world to stop a possible military attack
on Damascus. On
the anniversary of 9/11 in the U.S., the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
Kirill sent a message to President Barack Obama, urging him to stop the
military plans against the regime of Bashar al -Assad and denouncing the risks
of even wider instability in the region.
In
his message, published on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate , Kirill asked
the White House chief to " lend your ear to the voices of religious
leaders who unanimously oppose any military interference in the Syrian conflict
and to make every effort for the soonest commencement of peace negotiations
." The
leader of the Russian Orthodox Church said he was "deeply alarmed "
by the Pentagon's plans to attack Syria and warned of the possible consequences
: "Without a doubt , this will lead to further suffering for the Syrian people
," which is already living a "daily Golgotha" .
Echoing
the statements of Russian diplomacy, the Patriarch said that " An external
military intervention may result in the radical forces coming to power in Syria
who will not be able and will not wish to ensure inter-confessional accord in
the Syrian society ." In
this case - he denounced , as was done in the past - the Christian population
"will end up under the threat of total extermination or expulsion ."
The
Patriarch then invited hi reader to "seize the opportunity operable for a
diplomatic solution ," referring to the Russian initiative to put all chemical
weapons in Syria under international control. This
plan will be discussed today, 12 September, in Geneva by the foreign ministers
of Russia and America , Serghei Lavrov and John Kerry.
According
to the Russian newspaper Kommersant , Moscow has already presented Washington a
four-point plan which, according to rumors provides for Damascus adhering to the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW ), a declaration by
Syria on
the location of their arsenals and their place of production , the entrance of Opac
and chosen inspectors, in cooperation on how to destroy the weapons .
Despite
the active role of their country in international efforts to find a peaceful
solution to the conflict , the situation in Syria is of little interest to Russians
, who for the most part do not take sides either with the regime or with the
rebels. According
to a recent poll by the independent Levada Center , only 8 % of Russians is
following the developments of the situation in Syria , 52% know "a little "
about it, while 39 % no nothing. 51%
of respondents said they did not take sides with any of the parties in
conflict. Most
have a pragmatic approach or are simply indifferent to the position of the
Kremlin over conflict : 34% of respondents believe that Moscow supports neither
party, but is simply trying to take advantage of the situation . The
same percentage of people respond that they have nothing to say. 21%
has come out in favor of supporting Damascus and 11% would like to see Russia
sided with the West.