The Liturgy of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary…

His Beatitude Patriarch John X presided over the Liturgy of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in the Maryamiyah Cathedral in Damascus.

Damascus: 15 August 2021

His Beatitude was concelebrated with Their Grace, the Right Reverend Bishops Moussa El-Khoury, Efraim Malouli and John Batash, as well as a number of priests and deacons.

The Divine Liturgy was attended by the new Ambassador of Serbia, Mr. Radovan Stojanovic.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Beatitude congratulated all the children of the Antiochian Church in the homeland and overseas, wishing them good health and well-being, and asked the Virgin Mary to wipe away the tears from all faces, particularly through these difficult times.

He wished that the Lord would grant Syria, Lebanon and the region the blessings of stability and security, and would bestow His mercies upon the human race, with the intercession of the Theotokos (Mother of God).

He said: "We pray for our region in the Middle East, for all our countries in this wounded and suffering East. We pray for Syria, and we ask the Lord to grant us peace and stability in the coming days for all the Syrian people, regardless of their differences."

He then continued saying: "We pray for Lebanon in particular. This country is suffering nowadays from the conditions it is undergoing, whether in terms of politics or livelihood. We shall not forget about the wounded Palestine, Iraq, Jordan and all the countries of the Middle East. Let's raise our prayers to the Virgin Mary and ask her to intercede with her Son and our Lord, to have mercy on our souls and to soften our souls, so that we may receive the mercies of the Lord".