In an appeal addressed to "two communities: Arab and international," the leaders asserted that to officially end fighting in Syria and Iraq, and enable refugees to return home, Middle Eastern governments must "cease to support the terrorists," cutting off financial aid and closing borders where necessary, reports the Catholic Register.

The statement also urged the international community send more aid, in the form of material goods and medicine, to refugees displaced from their homes by Islamic State terrorists. A negotiated end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the leaders added, could eliminate "the root cause of the misfortunes" in the region.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who hosted the meeting, said that the goal of the Christian community is to ensure that Christian living in the Middle East "can stay in their respective countries and preserve their Christian tradition and mission."

The leaders added that they fear for the future of Christian youth living in Iraq and Syria, as they have "no other choice but to emigrate."

"Even if the churches double their services, they won't manage to resolve these crises," it said.

Referring to minority refugees from Syria and Iraq and to ongoing Mideast conflicts, the Christian leaders expressed "solidarity with all those who are suffering and wounded in dignity and deprived of their rights and with the hostages and prisoners of war subject to torture."

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