Syrians must unite around government’s promises, say Church leaders

The Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo and spiritual leader of Syria’s Latin Catholics called for the country to ‘be reunited’ and for ‘no further foreign interests fuelling internal divisions’.

Fighting in the 100 days since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has killed an estimated 4,700 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Fr Bahjat Karakach, the Latin-rite parish priest of Aleppo, said that “the few certainties that existed are now gone” but insisted that Christians “still hold credibility among Syrians” because they have not resorted to violence.

Speaking to the Christian Media Centre this week, he said the Christian community should be “a sign for those around us” and that recent attacks on minorities “should not discourage us – it should push us to be more creative”.

The Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo and spiritual leader of Syria’s Latin Catholics called for the country to “be reunited” and for “no further foreign interests fuelling internal divisions”.

In an interview with Vatican News published on 11 March, Bishop Hanna Jallouf OFM said Christians “remain committed to the promises made by new interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa for the respect and full participation of all minorities, whether ethnic or religious”. He called for “concrete actions from the new government in this regard” and insisted “we do not wish to be seen as a minority anymore – we want equal rights and duties in the new Syria”.

Bishop Jallouf reported that he and other bishops from different denominations, took part in the congress for drafting the new constitution, which President al-Sharaa signed on 13 March. “We submitted our proposals in terms of peace, unity, independence, and multi-religious coexistence and these were recorded and accepted,” he said.

Asked whether the new regime that deposed former President Bashar al-Assad three months ago had betrayed its promises of national reunification and tolerance toward minorities, after violence in the coastal Latakia region where more than 1,400 people were killed, he said he did not think Syria was returning to civil war because these were “localised incidents that have not, so far, spread to the rest of the country”. He reported that, “here in Aleppo, as well as in Damascus, the situation is completely calm”.

He said an attack which killed around 20 soldiers of the new regime prompted harsh repression by pro-government forces and, “unfortunately, I have learned that some Christians were also killed – though accidentally, not because they were Christians.”

However, he added: “I believe that the statements made in recent hours by interim President al-Sharaa reflect caution and responsibility. On one hand, he said that hostile resistance from supporters of the old regime was expected and must be forcefully repelled. On the other hand, he continues to affirm that there is no other path for Syria than national reconciliation through coexistence among the various ethnic and religious communities in our land.”

On 13 March the Greek Catholic Archbishop of Homs Jean-Abdo Arbach said: “We don’t want any more bloodshed. We call for unity and reconciliation. After 14 years of war, we don’t need another conflict.”

The archbishop also called for an end to the international economic sanctions on Syria, which he said undermine the peace process. He encouraged Christians, “to remain in their land, in their country, and to preserve Syria’s roots”.

The interim constitution signed by President Sharaa the same day guaranteed women’s rights and freedom of expression, according to members of its drafting committee, and the text states that “citizens are equal before the law in rights and duties, without discrimination based on race, religion, gender or lineage”.

However, critics objected to what they called its Islamists provisions, which include the requirement that the president be a Muslim and the powers reserved to the office. Minority groups, including Yazidi associations and the Kurdish-led authority that governs the northeast Syria, rejected the document.

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