28th January, 2016
The Geneva peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian civil war must "take into consideration" the needs of Christians, the Vatican has told the UN.
The talks – due to start on Friday and expected to last for six months – hope to find a political solution to the on-going Syrian crisis, now approaching its sixth year. The UN said the first priority is a broad ceasefire, providing humanitarian aid, and halting the threat of the so-called Islamic State.
"We hope the specific needs of the Christians, the Yazidis, and other communities that are not part of the Muslim majority be taken into serious consideration," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva.
Meanwhile, the World Council of Churches is among 120 humanitarian organisations and UN agencies calling for people to raise their voices in calling for an end to the crisis in Syria. People can indicate their support of the appeal – which can be found here – simply by liking it and sharing it on social media with the hashtag #SyriaCrisis.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said that with UN estimates indicating more than 220,000 people had been killed in the Syrian war with millions more displaced, all parties needed to "seize the chance to finally end it".
– DAVID ADAMS (with World Watch Monitor)
