Inside Syria and abroad, the calls for the lifting of US-led sanctions and the end of the economic embargo in the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquake are getting louder. Three prominent Christian leaders in Syria issued a joint letter on Feb. 7 calling for an end to sanctions, which they say are unjustly preventing vital aid from reaching the people most affected by the devastating earthquake that struck the region earlier this week, reported the Catholic News Agency.
The letter was signed by the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Youssef I, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X. “We, the three patriarchs with the heads of churches in Syria, demand from the United Nations and the countries imposing sanctions on Syria to lift the embargo and unjust sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, and to take exceptional measures and immediate initiatives to secure the delivery of the much-needed relief and humanitarian aid.”
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) also recently called for an end to sanctions against Syria. “We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity,” the religious leaders wrote in a Feb. 6 statement.
