After the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime, Syria crosses a period of deep uncertainty. In the midst of this panorama, Christians reinforce their “mission as peacemakers,” say two Franciscans that serve in the country.
Fray Bahjat Karakach, a Latin pastor of Aleppo, explained to the custody of the Holy Land (CTS) that the fall of the Syrian government, in December 2024, “does not automatically mean a good situation.”
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“We are going through a very difficult phase: the old certainties no longer exist and we do not know what the future will be like. It is necessary to encourage people and take a message of hope,” added Fray Karakach, referring especially to the Christian community of the country.
In recent weeks, the massacre of hundreds of people in Syria was recorded at the hands of the government of Ahmed al Sharaa, Muslim Sunita, in an effort to quell the sources of resistance of supporting groups of Al Assad. The victims are mainly alauitas, members of the Islam branch professed by the overthrown dictator, although the murders of many Christians have also been denounced.
“The first reaction to difficulties is to flee. Emigration did not stop after the fall of the regime. We need to see concrete advances towards development, but so far the opposite happens: the market is standing, many continue to lose their jobs,” said Fray Karakach.
According to the religious, in the midst of difficulties, the Christian community It has the responsibility of being “Paz Puente”. By rejecting violence, Syrian Christians enjoy great recognition and esteem among their nationals, which contributes to dialogue between all factions in struggle.
“We must invest in this and dedicate all our forces to this mediation work, of peace among the Syrian people,” said the Franciscan.
In addition, Fray Karakach says that it would be ideal to have a law “that punishes any incitement to hatred and discrimination”, with the aim of protecting Christians and contributing to the construction of “a truly tolerant and open society to all.”
Another Franciscan, Hanna Jallouf, Alepo Latin Apostolic Vicar, said that the wave of violence and The various clashes of recent months “are a shame”. Fray Jallouf explained that the Franciscan community and its flock “are safe.”
“In this situation, we have recovered our mission as peacemakers,” Fray Jallouf repeated.
“We immediately offered our collaboration to the new Government, to guarantee the peace and security of the population and the stabilization of the country. At the same time, we encourage our young people to integrate into political and social life to be ‘light of the world and salt from earth.’ This is our task, give flavor to life in Syria,” he added.
Andrés Henríquez
I am a writer for ACI Press and correspondent of EWTN since 2023. Since then, I cover events of the Catholic Church in Venezuela and Latin America. I have more than 5 years of experience in bilingual media. In addition, in Venezuela I have worked with non -governmental organizations for freedom and respect for human rights in the country. I am a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.