President Bashar al-Assad of Syria met recently with the Orthodox bishops there.
The leader of the war-torn country — in which, every minute, another family flees — assured his continued opposition to "terrorist, extremist thought, which knows neither borders nor nationalities".
Bishops in the Middle East, including Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, have repeatedly called for governments to stop their support for anti-Assad rebels.
See also: Syrian Mosque Named After Our Lady