Aid continues to reach Syrian Christian communities

By Laura Ieraci, CNEWA

Humanitarian aid and pastoral support continue to reach Christian communities in Syria, despite recent upheaval in the country, said Michel Constantin, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

In an inventory dated December 10, Mr. Constantin indicates that his team communicated with partners of the local Church, who “all confirmed that the situation remains stable with the rebels”.

Syria’s Christian community initially reacted to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8 with mixed feelings, but now hopes the situation will improve, Constantin said.

He said Church officials were “assured…that the new authority on the ground will be committed to providing full protection to all citizens, and especially Christians”, who have communities in the majority of major centers urban areas of Syria.

Church officials were also informed that “the current chaotic acts will soon be controlled to prevent thieves and gangs from taking advantage of the situation,” he reported.

The three Syrian patriarchs spoke out on the situation, launching a call to “unify efforts” and “stand alongside their people”.

Patriarchs John of citizenship and coexistence,” according to a press release. report in The Orthodox Times on December 11.

Mr Constantin described the “new status quo” in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime as “a fragile balance” between three groups. These include the rebels, who control around 65 percent of Syrian territory, including major cities, the Kurds, who control around 30 percent of Syrian territory in the northern and eastern regions, and another rebel group along the southern border, where the Druze minority is located. human lives, which Israel crossed earlier this week to create a nine-mile buffer zone along the border.

On December 10, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) named a new prime minister, Mohammed al Bashir, to head the Syrian transitional government.

This appointment, made without consultation of the national council, “could be the sign of a new direction in Syria based on a new military control of political authority”, declared Mr. Constantin, emphasizing the role of the international community in placing “no more pressure” for a peaceful transition. The militant group “has never hidden its religious affiliation and political roots” as a branch of Al-Qaeda, he added.

“This political process will ultimately lead to modifying the constitution to build, on the one hand, a new democratic regime and, on the other hand, preserve the rights of minorities,” he declared.

Citizens are waiting to see if power in the country will be shared “with all political, national and religious factions of Syrian society,” he added.

Meanwhile, the dramatic devaluation of the Syrian pound has pushed vulnerable Syrians further into poverty. The change of currency to the Turkish lira or the US dollar has caused a rise in the cost of living, and an increasing number of families are in need of emergency items such as food, medicine, cooking fuel and warmth, diapers and formula. Most markets remain closed in all cities except Aleppo.

“We are in an observation phase,” Mr. Constantin said. “We must wait and see how developments will shape the fate of the new Syria. »

This article was originally published by Catholic Social Welfare Association of the Middle East (CNEWA). All rights reserved. Unauthorized republication by third parties is not permitted.