Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of Syria delivers 'uplifting' mass in Sherbrooke, Que.

The "pope" of the Syriac Orthodox tradition delivered a message of hope to members of the Syrian community in Sherbrooke, Que., on Thursday,as a refugee crisis involving millions of people from the war-torn country made headlines around the world.

About 100 recent refugees have settled in and around the city east of Montreal, which ishome to Canada's oldest Syrian orthodox congregation.

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MorIgnatiusAphremIIaddressed the crisisin his afternoon massatSt-Ephrem, but also tried to offer hope.

"The mass was uplifting for theparishionersand me," MorIgnatiusAphremII told CBC's Homerun in an interview following the service.

"Many of the newcomers missed this (community) atmosphere."

Several Syrian families prepared the church for his arrival, laying out a red carpet and posting signs welcomingAphremII.

"We are happy to see him, to meet him, because he is the supreme leader of the church,"GeorgeMourani, one of the leaders in the local Syrian community, said prior to the mass.

"There is emotion, and there is some respect. It's not a brouhaha, you know. It's calm."

Mouranisaidthe devastating image of AlanKurdidrowned on a Turkish beach is at the forefront of everyone'sminds these days.He said those who were shocked by the image haven't been paying attention to the ongoing strife in Syria.

For his part, the patriarch said the photos are "representative of what's happening to hundreds of thousands of people in Syria and Iraq."

"People are determined to live as normal of lives as possible under the circumstances in Syria," AphremIIsaid.

"On any given day we wake up to the sound ofmortarsand bombsfalling all around us. I'm hoping and praying that Western leaders will somehow work harder to find a peaceful resolution in Syria and Iraq."

While theSherbrooke area is already home to some 100 Syrian immigrants, many of whom were sponsored by the church,another 20 families are expected to arrive the week of Sept. 14.