Vatican City, 24 March 2014 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolences for the death of
His Holiness Mar Ignatius Zakka Iwas, Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of
Antioch and all the East on 21 March, at the age of 80. “The whole
Christian world has lost one of its outstanding spiritual leaders,
courageous and wise in leading people through very difficult times”,
he writes. “Following his election as patriarch in 1980, His
Holiness was an engaged witness of the successive violent conflicts
that have brought untold death and suffering to the Middle East,
especially Iraq and most recently Syria. His Holiness was a man of
dialogue and peace with regard to the followers of all religious
traditions”.
Pope Francis also mentions in the
telegram the Patriarch's role as an observer at the Vatican Council
II and gives thanks for his “extraordinary contribution to
strengthening communion between Syrian Orthodox Christians and the
Catholic faithful”.
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