Patriarch John X Yazigi, the Syrian Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (GOCA), met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
During the meeting, the Crown Prince and the Syrian Patriarch stressed the deep relationship between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the UAE. His Beatitude thanked Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for the UAE’s support to his church.
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Commenting on his pastoral visit to the sisterly Arab Emirates, Patriarch John X said, “I come to you bearing the fragrance of the Church of Antioch and bring to you the fragrance of its historical fragrance, tolerance, openness, authenticity, encounter and bridges of communication and dialogue. And when I talk about all these values, I am speaking about the foundations on which this country, the UAE, was built… Thanks to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. As for the memory of the founding father, Sheikh Zayed, May God rest his soul, so history will preserve it and hearts will remember it with gratitude and appreciation.”
“Muslims and Christians have built together the civilization of this East, and Muslims and Christians will always remain on a covenant of brotherhood that we wrote and write with ink that united us and our love to please the Most Holy God, who wanted and was content to reveal His glory by the blasphemy of His servants of all sects,” he concluded.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
