After Assad, Syria’s Christians hope for ‘rebirth’ of country

By Joseph Tulloch and Roberto Cetera

Over the past few days, the world has been shocked as rebel forces took control of large swathes of Syria at lightning speed.

On Sunday, militants announced their capture of Damascus, officially ending 53 years of Assad family rule.

The Assad regime has often been portrayed as a defender of religious minorities, and so one of the biggest questions surrounding the rebel victory has been what it means for Syria’s minority groups – Druze, Ismailis, Christians. , Kurds and others.

The duty of the international community

Asked why many Christians are celebrating the fall of the regime, Father Bajhat Karakach, a Franciscan friar who is Latin rite parish priest of Aleppo, told Vatican News that Christians, “like all Syrians,” were “completely exhausted by life under the regime.” regime”, where there was “neither development nor economic growth”.

“It’s not living, it’s surviving,” he stressed.

The Franciscan friar stressed that the rebels had, in recent years, shown increasing tolerance towards Christians, notably by returning confiscated property. After taking Aleppo and moving south, he explained, they sent “very strong messages of tolerance” to all minority groups, including Christians.

Father Karakach also stressed the duty of the international community to “do its part to stabilize the country and help Syrians develop a new constitution that respects all rights for all.”

“This is our hope,” said the Syrian Franciscan, “but we will have to see how things evolve.”

Meeting with al-Jolani

Vatican News also spoke with Archbishop Hanna Jallouf, Vicar Apostolic of Aleppo, who said he thanked God that the transfer of power took place without bloodshed.

The archbishop said he met with al-Jolani, the leader of the largest rebel group, who gave him “assurance that Christians and their property will not be affected and that (the militants) will respond to all our legitimate demands.

So far, Archbishop Jallouf said, the rebels have been true to their word and treated Christians with “great grace.”

Hope for a “definitive rebirth”

A slightly more optimistic note was sounded by Father Firas Lutfi, Latin rite priest of Damascus, who described the fall of the regime as “a gift that comes to us on the feast of Mary: the birth of the new Syria after 53 years of a dictatorial and bloodthirsty government.

Father Lufti stressed that Assad had left behind “more than half a million dead” and “a ruined economy”, and stressed that the present moment was the time to “celebrate the rebirth of Syria” .

However, he also stressed that important questions need to be asked about the country’s future, particularly given the wide variety of militant groups – including many foreign fighters – that now hold power.

The priest expressed hope that the Syrians – together with the international community who, he said, “have certainly helped the rebels regain power” – will be able to lead the country towards a “real and definitive renaissance, where democracy and human rights reign. and where Syrians of all religions, ethnicities and faiths are respected.