At the invitation of the Community of Sant’Egidio, His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church for the Eastern United States, participated in the 2025 International Meeting for Peace Daring Peace held in Rome, October 26–28, 2025. The gathering brought together religious leaders and civic figures to pray, dialogue, and encourage concrete paths toward peace. On Monday, October 27, His Eminence took part in the forum: “Standing Against Evil: The Martyrs of Our Time”, hosted at Chiesa di Santa Croce al Flaminio at 9:30 a.m. The session highlighted the witness of modern Christians and other believers who suffer for truth and human dignity.
In his remarks “Standing Against Evil: The Martyrs of Our Time” Archbishop Kawak reflected on the mystery of Christian martyrdom as a seed of hope for the Church today. Drawing on the memory of Sayfo (the Syriac Genocide of 1915) and the continuing trials of Christians in the Middle East, he emphasized that the blood of the martyrs “speaks better things” (cf. Hebrews 12:24), calling the faithful to overcome hatred with love (cf. Romans 12:21) and to pursue peace with all (cf. Hebrews 12:14). He asked prayers for the persecuted, for the safe return of the two kidnapped archbishops of Aleppo, and for leaders to act as true peacemakers (cf. Matthew 5:9), reminding all that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). The final ceremony was concluded and presided by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Coliseum in the heart of Rome.
