An appeal for every effort to be made to re-establish peace in the Holy Land and for the resolutions of the international community to be respected was made in recent days by the Patriarch of all the Russias Alexis II. On behalf of the Holy Synod, Alexis addressed an official communiqué to the Russian Federation, the USA, the European Union and the United Nations. “Any further escalation of bloodshed says the communiqué could cause destabilization throughout the Middle East”. “The world community adds the patriarch can and must step up the degree of its involvement in the peace process in the Middle East, so that the sufferings of civilians may cease”. “By virtue of its history and its geographical position writes Alexis II the Holy Land is a place where peoples of different ethnic groups and the faithful of the three religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam, have co-existed. Consequently, no national and religious group may prevail over the other. The Holy Land must become a home open to everyone”. “The Christian, Moslem and Jewish sanctuaries declares the Patriarch of Moscow must be preserved and equally so the respect for the legitimate rights of the inhabitants of this land”. “Today adds Alexis II the Holy Land has been injured in a blasphemous way by hatred and bathed in blood. We weep for every victim, and condemn every act of violence against civilians”. The condolence of the patriarchate goes both to the Israeli and Palestinian victims. The Russian Orthodox Church recalls the joint communiqué that the Christian Churches of Jerusalem sent to the parties in the conflict on 9 March, appealing for full legitimacy for the Palestinian people. “Peace says the communiqué from Moscow must return to the Holy Land. It is our profound conviction that it is necessary to put an end to the hostilities and return to responsible dialogue”.
