New Jersey, SANA The Syrians are committed to their land and no one will be able to displace them, as they will remain in the land of their ancestors, Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Leader of the Syriac Orthodox Church said during the opening ceremony of Mar Aphrem Syriac Center in the US city of New Jersey on Saturday.
Patriarch Aphrem II told SANA Correspondent that the Syrian people will triumph over the global conspiracy targeting their homeland.
He stressed the importance of the Syriac Church for the members of the Syrian community in the US and Europe as a center for raising awareness about what Syria is facing and in facing the bulk of the media falsifications.
Mar Aphrem Syriac Center in the US and Europe is the first of its kind. It includes a small church under the name St. Syriac Mar Aphrem, a patriarchal office, a headquarters for the Bishop of the Diocese, offices for the Institutions, centers for teaching the Syriac language and religious sciences in addition to a paper and electronic libraries and a museum of Icons and manuscripts.
The opening of the center in New Jersey aims at deepening ties among all the Syrians abroad and the Patriarchate in Damascus, the Patriarch confirmed.
He pointed out that the Patriarchate will open other offices in Europe, India and Latin America, wishing that security and peace will prevail in Syria and the region which are suffering due to the attacks of the armed terrorist organizations.
For his part, member of the Syrian-American Forum Ghaiyath Moussa stressed that the center proves Syrians capability of being united in a civilized way and express their opinions clearly as they believe that Syria, their motherland, will remain despite of all the terrorist organizations attempts of killing and displacing them.
Participants in the opening ceremony stressed that the opening of the center reflects Syrian expatriates’ commitment to their homeland.
The center will open its doors for all those who want to get acquainted with the Syriac Church, learn its language and work to spread it in the US and the American Continent.
Syria is the only country in the world which includes the largest number of the Aramaic /Syriac/ spoken natives, the language of Jesus. They reside in the villages of Maaloula, al-Sarkha and Jaba’din in the countryside of Damascus.
H. Zain /Barry