Bishops call for prayers for Egypt and Syria

The Bishops of Malta and Gozo have called on the faithful to offer their prayers for an end to the bloody conflicts afflicting Egypt and Syria and issued a call for donations.

On Wednesday, at least 638 people died when the Muslim Brotherhood's two protest camps in Cairo were cleared, a move that sparked international condemnation. This followed weeks of violence in Egypt with supporters of the deposed President Mohammed Morsi clashing with security forced following the army's coup in early July.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in March 2011, while a further 1.7 million Syrians have been forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries.

"Faced with the bloody events in two neighboring countries; Syria and Egypt, we the bishops of Malta and Gozo appeal to God's people in Malta to offer their incessant prayers for an end to the conflicts which are causing unjust suffering and deaths."

In recent days, 52 churches in Egypt were reportedly stormed, burnt, and destroyed by Islamists and pro-Morsi supporters, leaving the Coptic Christian community in panic and distress.

"While praying for our Catholic brothers and sisters in these countries to have their freedom to worship upheld, we call for peace on our Muslim brothers and sisters," the bishops said.

They also expressed their solidarity with the Syrian and Egyptian communities in Malta.

The bishops said that in the coming days the Church would be organising a fund-raising event, with the proceeds distributed equally between the Churches of Egypt and Syria to help the needy and the victims of conflict, independently of their beliefs.