Vatican News speaks to three representatives of Syria’s Catholic community about the sudden downfall of the Assad government, and their hopes for the rebirth of a free and democratic Syria.
Over the past few days, the world has looked on with shock as rebel forces took over huge swathes of Syria at lightning speed.
On Sunday, the militants announced their capture of Damascus, officially putting an end to 53 years of rule by the Assad family.
The Assad regime was often portrayed as a defender of religious minorities, and one of the biggest questions about the rebel victory has therefore 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 downfall of the regime, Fr Bajhat Karakach, a Franciscan friar who serves as Aleppo’s Latin-rite parish priest, told Vatican News that Christians, “like all Syrians”, had been “completely exhausted by living under the regime”, where there was “no development, no economic growth.”
“It’s not living, it’s surviving,” he stressed.
The Franciscan friar noted that the rebels had, over the past few years, shown increasing tolerance to Christians, including returning confiscated property. After they took Aleppo and moved south, he said, they had been sending “very strong messages of tolerance” to all minority groups, including Christians.
Fr Karakach also stressed the duty of the international community to “do its part to stabilise the country, and help Syrians develop a new constitution that respects all the rights of all.”
“This is our hope,” the Syrian Franciscan said, “but we’ll have to see how things turn out.”
The Vatican News
