Syrian Leader Bids Pope a Warm Farewell

DAMASCUS, May 8, 01 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II left Syria on Tuesday morning, making a 3-hour flight to Malta for the last leg of his latest apostolic journey.

Syria's President Bachar el-Assad led a delegation of government and religious leaders at the airport outside Damascus to see off the Pontiff. Assad told the Pope, "If your Holiness ever wants anything from Syria, you only have to let me know."

John Paul told his hosts that the was "filled with a sense of gratitude" to the Syrian government, its people, and the Church leaders of the region. He stressed that Syria has a vital role to play in restoring peace to the Middle East, and he encouraged the Christians of the land to preserve their heritage of ecumenical friendship and cooperation.

On Monday afternoon, the Pope presided at an ecumenical service for young people in the Melkite cathedral of the Dormition in Damascus. "Although you belong to a variety of Christian confessions, all of you seek to hear the voice of the one Lord and to travel together toward him," the Pope said. He urged them to be bold in their commitment to Christian principles, and untiring in their work to build a better society.

Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update
8. mai 2001