MINSK, 3 February (BelTA) - Using religion and various ideologies as a cover, terrorists try to sow fear in the hearts of people, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said when addressing the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, BelTA has learned.
“Using religion and various ideologies as a cover, terrorists try to sow fear and enmity in the hearts of people and to stir up inter-religious and inter-ethnic hatred,” Patriarch Kirill said.
“Several heart-breaking tragedies have happened within the living memory, among them the explosion of the Russian plane over the Sinai, a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, the attack on Garissa University College in Kenya, and mass killings in Baga, Nigeria. These are just some of the atrocities committed by the terrorists in recent months. The world community is called to stop terror and restore just peace in Syria, in particular, thus setting an example for all those Middle Eastern countries where blood is being shed now,” the Primate of the Russian Church said.
Patriarch Kirill also expressed concerns over the situation with Christians in Iraq, Libya, Syria and other countries of the Middle East. “Many of them refuse to leave their homes, monasteries and Christian villages even in the face of death. Recently, politicians have started to admit that mass killings and banishment of Christians and taking them as hostages are a real genocide committed on confessional grounds in this region. An attempt to expel Christianity from the Middle East is a tragedy of historic scale that affects the whole world,” His Holiness said.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called upon everyone to pray for peace in Ukraine.