Damascus (AsiaNews) - The Middle East is experiencing a "Way of the Cross," the greatest tragedy since World War Two, said Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, in his Lenten message.
The Church, despite its efforts, is having difficulty meeting the growing needs it faces in the region. In fact "We fail in front of the suffering of our people in all walks of life, Christians and Muslims. It's a universal suffering," he explained.
"We as pastors are with our people, at their side, in front of them, behind them," Patriarch Laham said, "as if we wash the feet of those who are suffering as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples."
"We are in the fifth year of the Way of the Cross," especially in Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian territories and also in Lebanon, "which is affected in a tragic way by war, which rages around it," the prelate said.
"This is a tragedy of the greatest tragedies of history," he added, "not just in the region, but in the world, since World War Two.
Hence, "We call on all citizens and our children (to work together and with Pope Francis) to not let the flame of hope be extinguished in your hearts."