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CV NEWS FEED // Following the outbreak of violence in northwest Syria against minorities including Alawites and Christians, the Carmelite nuns in Aleppo have spoken out saying that a genocide is taking place, according to a March 11 X post from former French Prime Minister François Fillon.
“So many of you have reached out asking for news, and we’re deeply touched by your concern. The massacres unfolding on Syria’s northwest coast, in the Alawite region where the former president’s family comes from, defy words,” the nuns stated, according to a translation of the message posted March 12 on X by the account Carmelite Quotes. The original message did not include a date of publication.
The Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria collapsed in December 2024 after a coalition of predominantly Islamist militants led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive to end the regime. Later that month, HTS leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa) met with Catholic and non-Catholic Christian leaders and claimed that “the new Syria will be inclusive” for Christians, according to a Vatican News article at the time.
On March 6, 2025, conflict broke out between the new government’s General Security Forces and remnants of the al-Assad regime, as CatholicVote reported. Amid the violence, Security Forces killed a number of minority civilians, predominantly within the Alawite community, a Muslim sect that HTS Sunni Muslim extremists regard as “heretical,” and a number of Christians. Conflicting reports indicate that the death toll of civilians may be between 1,500 and 3,000.
The Carmelite nuns said in their statement that the violence happening “is a crime against humanity — a true genocide. How can the simple, impoverished Alawite people be held responsible for decades of rule by the Assad family? Shock, anger, and fear are spreading across Latakia and beyond. Where is this all leading?”
The nuns said the people are destitute, powerless and defenseless, and asked who will stand up for them.
“We beg you: pray, and do whatever is in your power to help stop this inhuman slaughter,” they said.
The nuns said that earlier that day they had spoken on the phone with Sister Rima, the superior of the Apostolic Carmelite Sisters of St. Joseph in Latakia. They said she was weeping when they spoke.
There are many young Alawite women at the Sisters’ student residence in Latakia, and they are devastated after losing family members and friends in the massacres, the nuns said.
“On top of this horror, Latakia has been without electricity and water for five days,” they continued, adding that those in Aleppo are facing worsening shortages as well.
“This tragedy has sparked protests across the country, but, sadly, they often turn violent. And the government remains silent. What role does it play in this disaster?” the nuns wrote. “Within the Church, patriarchs and bishops have spoken out firmly, calling on the government to end the violence and truly work for the good of the nation and its reconstruction.”
Bishop Hanna Jallouf of Aleppo has been outspoken, the nuns said. Other groups, such as the Druze, Kurds, and Shiites, are too.
“And yet, even in the midst of such tragedy, we witness incredible acts of courage and goodness. Some Sunni and Shiite families have taken in and protected Alawite refugees,” they continued.
They called on the government to strive for peace and reconciliation, and they urged for people to pray that the violence ends.
“Pray especially for the Christian community—so shaken by all this turmoil—that they may hold firm in faith and not abandon their homeland,” the nuns concluded. “Thank you for your prayers and your love. May you have a blessed and holy Lent. Our Savior Jesus has triumphed, and He will always triumph—through His self-offering and His death of love on the Cross.”
