Syria: Christians Are at Risk

In today's Syria, Catholicism brings together around 368,000 faithful - or about 2% of the population before the war. Today, it is probably less because of emigration. The Church is therefore a religious minority composed of a mosaic of rites: Melkite (Greek Catholic), Maronite, Syriac, Chaldean, Armenian, and Latin.

These communities, historically rooted in the country since the first centuries of Christianity, have been severely tested by more than 13 years of civil war (2011-2024), persecution by jihadist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) organization, and a devastating economic crisis aggravated by international sanctions and the February 2023 earthquake.

Since the rise to power of the former jihadist Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – who has reverted to his former name of Ahmed al-Charaa – led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) in December 2024, the Catholic situation has become more fragile. The HTC, although it comes from jihadist factions, initially sought to project an image of moderation, notably by meeting with Christian leaders in Aleppo and Homs to reassure them of their place in the “new Syria.”

Jacques Mourad, Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Homs, reported that the new leaders had affirmed that Christians were “an integral part of the Syrian population” and had promised them protection and freedom of worship. But the prelate has no more illusions: the Western media narrative remains silent on the fear and the climate of violence that “seems to be a trap into which all those who come to power here fall,” in the words of the prelate.

The masks are gradually dropping, and the archbishop speaks of the current situation: worrying disappearances, prisons that are filling up again, and public torture for collusion with the Assad regime. And also “several cases of young Christians threatened and tortured in the street to sow terror, to force them to renounce their faith and become Muslims,” he explains to Fides.

It is in this context that the President of the Commission of the Episcopate of the European Union (Comece) published a press release on February 19, 2025 to raise awareness and affect Western opinion, which is ignoring the tragedy of Christians in Syria. “Christians are an essential part of the history and culture of the region,” recalls Mariano Crociata, who declares that their disappearance “would be a tragic loss not only for Syria, but also for the stability of the region and the world.”

The President of Comece addressed the EU Member States, which are supposed to help Syria rebuild: a reconstruction which, for Crociata, cannot ignore religious minorities, Christians in particular. The prelate urges Europe to use all its weight to help establish a “legal framework that applies transitional justice in a manner that is fair.” This ignores that Sharia is the only law that the new strongman of Damascus recognizes.

Finally, Bishop Crociata asks Europe to contribute to creating the “conditions that allow the voluntary and safe return of Christian refugees and their families to their homes,” ensuring the support of the Church, and pointing out the threat that an Islamist regime – which by definition is not moderate, contrary to what one would like to believe – poses against the Christian presence.

Tragic Proof 

As these lines were about to be published, a terrible confirmation of the worst fears regarding the future of Syria shattered the illusions that the new strongman of Damascus was trying to maintain. According to Fabrice Balanche, interviewed by Le Figaro, the Alawites of Latakia are suffering from a political and religious vendetta. The Sunnis consider them enemies and heretics.

They are not the only ones. The Druze are also targeted. Francis Balanche explains thatm "Ahmed al-Charaa's priority is to unify the Islamist factions around the HTC, officially dissolved in January. And for that, there is nothing like a war against the Alawites, the former enemy. It is miraculous that these massacres did not take place in December, when they took power."

He continues: "This jihadist system could only produce such events. The government, in order to obtain the lifting of sanctions, wanted to push back the day of vengeance as far as possible, but the men of Al-Sharaa could not wait any longer. … Here we see the true face of the government. … The reunification of Syria is gradually moving away.”

As for the toll, Le Figaro reports 530 deaths, while Le Monde admits “more than 1,000 deaths, the majority of which are Alawite civilians.”