Patriarch John X to the Youth: I am Christian;…

Damascus,

The hall of the Holy Cross Church in Damascus gathered His Beatitude Patriarch John X, with the youth in a meeting that was not the first, and will not be the last. During Christmas time, His Beatitude John X met a group of youth in an informal atmosphere.

In his speech that came out spontaneously, His Beatitude stressed on consoling the hearts and behaving wisely in all issues confronting us. He also stressed that each one of us is invited to get rid of fear and replace it with the peace given to us through the Nativity of Jesus Christ, some of his words were:

“When I say I am Christian, in Arabic this confession has a deep meaning. When you say that something is wooden or iron, you indicate the core and essence of the material. The same goes when a person says he is Christian, he is invited to make Christ his essence and own being, through acquiring virtues of Christian life and to walk through the days fearless.

Our fathers did not fear and they sacrificed, so we stay as we are today.

We are invited to get rid of fear in spite of our weaknesses and challenges facing us, so that our children persevere.”