St. Thecla Monastery in the Christian village of Maaloula, southern Syria / Adobe Stock
CV NEWS FEED // The sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria on Dec. 8 has left the country at a crossroads, raising serious concerns for the Christian community and other minorities.
The fall came after a swift offensive by a coalition of Islamist militants led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate. While the Assad family, long accused of oppression, has fled to Russia, the consequences of this power vacuum are profound, particularly for Syria’s diverse religious landscape.
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Christian leaders, such as Bishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, expressed relief that the transfer of power occurred without significant bloodshed, according to Vatican News. He recounted meeting with al-Jolani, the leader of the largest rebel group, who provided assurances that Christians and their possessions would remain safe and that legitimate requests would be honored. Thus far, the rebels had treated Christians with “great grace,” the Archbishop reported.
Syrian Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs expressed both relief at the end of Assad’s rule and deep concern for the future. Archbishop Mourad, who has personally endured the horrors of conflict, including his 2015 kidnapping by ISIS, described the dire conditions for refugees fleeing Aleppo in an interview with Agenzia Fides.
“We are really tired,” he said. “We are really exhausted, and we are also finished, in every sense.”
His diocese has been inundated with refugees suffering from hunger, cold, and deprivation. Despite setting up reception centers with support from international organizations, the needs far outweigh the available resources. Archbishop Mourad lamented the immense suffering and questioned the motives behind the destruction of Aleppo, a city steeped in Christian history and cultural significance.
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Fr. Bahjat Karakach, a Franciscan friar from Aleppo, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the exhaustion that permeated Syrian society under Assad’s regime.
“Like all Syrians,” he told Vatican News, Christians had been “completely exhausted by living under the regime, where there was no development, no economic growth.”
While expressing cautious optimism about the new leadership, he emphasized the need for the international community to support the stabilization of Syria and ensure a constitution that respects the rights of all citizens.
“This is our hope, but we’ll have to see how things turn out,” he said.
Fr. Firas Lutfi, Latin-rite parish priest of Damascus, described the regime’s fall as “a gift that comes to us on the feast day of Mary: the birth of the new Syria after 53 years of a dictatorial and bloodthirsty government.” While noting that Assad’s rule left “more than half a million dead” and “an economy in ruins,” he characterized the moment as one to “celebrate Syria’s rebirth.” Still, he acknowledged significant challenges ahead, particularly given the diverse and often fractious nature of the militant groups now holding power.
HTS, now in control of much of the country, has attempted to present a more moderate stance compared with its extremist origins. Leaders, including HTS’s Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, have pledged to protect minorities and avoid the radical policies of groups like ISIS. Bishop Jallouf of Aleppo confirmed that HTS had so far treated Christians with “great grace” and promised that their rights and possessions would be respected. However, the militant group’s Islamist roots and past behavior have fueled skepticism about the durability of these assurances.
Concerns extend beyond Syria’s borders. The U.S. government has pledged support for regime change while vowing to prevent Syria from becoming a haven for ISIS.
As CatholicVote has reported, International Christian Concern (ICC) has warned of a mass exodus of Christians from Aleppo and other regions, emphasizing the broader trend of Christian persecution and displacement across the Middle East.
“The coming days and weeks will be crucial for the fate of the Christian community,” ICC President Jeff King said.
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Despite HTS’s overtures, experts and advocates fear for the future of Syria’s Christian population, which has already dwindled significantly over the past decade. Aleppo, historically a center of religious diversity, now faces the potential loss of its Christian heritage.
For Syria’s Christians, the hope for peace is tempered by the fear of extinction in a country torn apart by decades of war and upheaval.
