Aid to the Church in Need has raised alarms over the potential disappearance of Syria’s Christian population as the country faces escalating conflict and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
This warning comes days after the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year regime, during which thousands of Christians fled. The Islamist rebel group HTS, with former links to al-Qaeda, has seized power, raising fears of increased religious freedom violations.
John Pontifex, Head of Press at Aid to the Church in Need, told Premier Christian News: “Religious freedom violations and human rights abuses often worsen after the fall of a long-standing regime.”
The situation is compounded by Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged chemical weapons and missile sites, while unconfirmed reports claim Israeli tanks are near Damascus. Israel denies these claims, stating its forces remain within the UN buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria described the reports as “troubling”, and the UN has highlighted that 16 million Syrians urgently need aid. Aid to the Church in Need has launched an emergency appeal, scaling up efforts with local partners to provide essentials, particularly as winter sets in.
“Bishops, priests, sisters, and laypeople are supporting vulnerable communities through targeted projects,” Pontifex explained.
He also warned that Syria’s uncertain political future could lead to either a more democratic coalition or an authoritarian Islamist regime. Under the wrong leadership, he said we could see the “disappearance of Christian communities that have existed since apostolic times,” noting that fewer than 3,000 Christians remain in Syria.
Speaking in an interview with ACI MENA, Bishop Hanna Jallouf, the head of the Latin Church in Syria said they received guarantees that churches and properties would remain untouched by the HTS.
