Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate: Return of freed nuns step towards real national reconciliation

The return of the freed nuns to the homeland is a divine message to the Christians to cling tenaciously to this land in fraternity with Muslims, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East said Monday.
The Patriarchate expressed in a statement hope that freeing the nuns is a step forward on the road to genuine national reconciliation and the return of all the abducted and the missing, including bishops Boulous Yazigi and Yohanna Ibrahim, to their homes.
The statement hailed the efforts of the Syrian and Lebanese governments for releasing the nuns.
The Patriarchate appealed for doubling efforts to bring this humanitarian issue to a happy ending.
The released nuns of St. Thecla monastery, who had been held hostage by armed terrorist groups, arrived Monday at dawn in Damascus amid popular and religious reception.