Posted on 11/03/2019 7:23:56 AM PST by marshmallow
Patriarch John X of Antioch and the heads of several other Christian churches in the Middle East met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Wednesday, October 30 to discuss the ongoing persecution and ways to protect the suffering Christian communities in the Middle East.
The meeting, which was organized by Prime Minster Orban, was also attended by Patriarch Mar Ignatius Ephraim II of the Syriac church, Melkite Patriarch Youssef I AbsI of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria and Jerusalem, and Syro-Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Ignatius Youssef III Yunan.
The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, reports Patriarchia.ru.
As Prime Minister Orban noted at the end of the conversation, in order to understand the situation faced by Christian communities in the Middle East, the best way was “to ask those who live there, to ask the heads of churches who are in this region.”
“We met in person, and now we can discuss what politicians can do to make your life easier in this region. Therefore, many thanks for accepting our invitation,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said, addressing the guests from the Middle East.
Hungary has proven itself a great ally of persecuted Christians in recent years. For example, in September 2016, it became the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe; in July 2017, it allocated nearly $2 million to help restore churches in Lebanon.
Thanking the head of the Hungarian Government for organizing the meeting, Pres. Putin stressed that Russia is making persistent and consistent efforts to help bring peace and stability to the Middle East; in particular.....
(Excerpt) Read more at orthochristian.com ...
Was Patriarch Bartholomew in attendance?
no
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