DAMASCUS (Xinhua) - Hundreds of Syrian Christians gathered Saturday at al-Zaitoun Cathedral in the capital Damascus to perform prayers for the peace of Syria and in rejection of a potential US military strike.
The prayers came in response to the call of Vatican's Pope Francis, who recently called for worldwide prayers and fasting on Saturday for peace in Syria.
Pope Francis urged world leaders on Thursday, who were convening at the G20 Summit in Moscow, to "lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution" in Syria.
The Syrian administration is currently in the limelight as Washington is garnering support for its planned military action on Syria. The threats of strike followed the rebels' allegations that the Syrian government unleashed nerve gas attacks in the countryside of Damascus in August. Damascus strongly denied the accusations, saying they were meant to draw in military intervention in Syria -- something the rebels had been craving for.
In Syria, meanwhile, Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham of Antioch and All East said during the prayers ceremony that most world countries support a political solution to the crisis in Syria and few want military action, which was '' beginning of victory.''
''We thank all those who oppose aggression against Syria, especially Pope Francis who turned the whole world into a church and mosque and a worshipping place to say: No to war,'' Patriarch Laham said.
Syrians all over the world have a responsibility to convey the true image of Syria as the land of amity and coexistence, Laham demanded.
The Christian Syrians have recently felt the threat of the radical rebels who overran an ancient Christian town near Damascus on Wednesday and reportedly wrecked havoc in its time-honored churches.
The Syrian army immediately unleashed a ferocious operation to recapture Maaloula from the hands of the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front. On Saturday, Syria's mainstream media said the army had reached the heart of Maaloula, expecting that it would soon be rebel-free.
Several Christian areas and priests have been targeted during Syria's 30-month-long crisis that has been themed with sectarian rivalries, particularly with the presence of al-Qaida-affiliated groups that have overwhelmed the ranks of the Syrian rebels.
Syria's Christians, accounting for 10 percent of the country's Sunni-dominated population, showed unwavering support to embattled President Bashar al-Assad due to fear that a regime change could deprive them of the protection Assad has long ensured for them.