The spiritual leaders of Middle Eastern Christian communities have expressed their disappointment with the outcome of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon.

The leaders said they did not manage to bring the current situation of the Christian communities and the high tension in Syria to the pontiff’s agenda, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Jirayr Reisyan, the spiritual leadership’s speaker from the Armenian Apostolic Church in Damascus, told Hurriyet Daily News he had had a limited audience with the Pope.

He also commented on “The Innocence of Muslims” movie which infuriated the Muslims in the Middle East. Reisyan called the movie “scandalous,” adding that the movie would trigger violent actions in the region and stated that not only Christians but also Muslims were under threat in Syria.

As to Armenian community in Syria, spokesperson for Armenian Apostolic Church said Armenians must stay in the region.

“As Syrian Armenians, we have never been a party to a conflict where brothers shed each other’s blood and never will be. We hope peace will prevail in the region as soon as possible,” he added.