Ghalioun says Vatican ignores Opposition demands to meet the Pope

Translation by Yusra Ahmed

(Zaman Alwasl)- Following Mario Zenari’s, the pope's Syria envoy, opinion about the situation in Syria, Burhan Ghalioun, the first President of the National Council, revealed on his Facebook page that many attempts to meet with the Pope went in vain. “they did not want to give us any recognition could’ve enhance the Revolution’s democratic and humanitarian picture” He accused the Vatican’s clerics of depriving the revolution from hope, like other countries, when they deprived it from arms, military and politicalsupport.

Ghalioun added that they did not leave a stone unturned to have a chance to meet the Pope, or even to have a photo with him. “We had mediated the former Italian Minister of Foreign Affair, and other ministers in many countries, we sought help of religious figures and clerics”

“Young Syrians are gravitating towards the radical Islamic State due to a lack of prospects and the lure of financial support more than "ideological conviction", the pope's Syria envoy said Saturday.

In his interview with Radio Vatican, Zenari, said he believed that young militants rushing to join their ranks did not as a rule do so out of "ideological conviction".

Burhan Ghalion regrets that Zerani’s attitude would have hugely benefited Syrians, either Muslims or Christians if they had been said three years ago, when the revolution was in need to show the world the real democratic demands of Syrians. “How much that would have cut the way for the regime to use the minorities as a shield to fight the rest of Syrian people, how much those words would have stopped the extremist groups from attacking the minorities these days because of the apparent protection they have by regime, which suspected their loyalty to their country”

Ghalioun said that all their (opposition) efforts to schedule with the Pope though Vatican’s PR officer have been failed.

The Professor added that Religious figures in Vatican think they help Christians in facing the community’s uprising, which is of Muslim majority. He thinks that attitude is based on the fear of Islam which has increased as a result of mixing cards and equalizing rebellion, revolution, social and political conflict and the religious beliefs.