Amid Regime Change in Syria, Patriarch John X of Antioch Says Christians ‘Not Guests In This Land’
Patriarch John X of Antioch delivered a powerful sermon at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus, addressing Christians in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the takeover by an Islamic rebel group.
“We stand on the threshold of a new phase, perceiving the dawn of a homeland we all love and cherish,” he said in his message this past Sunday.
Quoting 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Patriarch X said, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”
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The message came a week after Syria’s Christians marked the first Sunday since the collapse of Bashar Assad ‘s 24-year government.
“They are promising us that government will be formed soon and, God willing, things will become better because we got rid of the tyrant,” one worshiper, Jihad Raffoul, told The Associated Press.
Syria has been under isolating sanctions by the United States and the European Union for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and erupted into civil war. Assad fled to Russia after his regime was toppled and is now in exile there.
Syria’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham rebels are now in charge. The Islamic group – which formerly had ties to al-Qaeda – have taken over, yet it remains unknown whether the jihadi group will persecute the country’s Christian minority.
Numbering 1.5 million before the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, Christians made up about 10 percent of the population. Within a decade, the numbers fell dramatically. In 2022, there were only 300,000 left, or about 2% of the current population, according to a report by the US-based NGO “Aid to Church in Need.”
Before the collapse of the Assad regime, religious minority groups, including Christians, worshipped freely. Some remain jittery at the prospect of an Islamist government. At the same time. the protection of Syria's minorities was a key concern on Saturday when top diplomats from Arab nations, Turkey, the United States and European Union met in Jordan this past weekend.
“We’re scared, we're still scared,” local resident Maha Barsa told Reuters attending Mass at the local Greek Melkite Catholic church.
In his message, the patriarch – reflecting on Syria’s rich and diverse heritage – said Christians “are not guests in this land.”
“We are from the ancient roots of Syria and as old as the jasmine of Damascus,” he added.
He also emphasized the enduring bond between Christians and Muslims.
“Our shared history transcends differences,” he said. “Between ‘we’ and ‘you,’ the ‘and’ disappears, leaving only ‘we you.’”
Patriarch John X also invoked Christmas as “the season of the hope brought by the newborn in a manger.”
“I ask God to protect Syria and inspire those responsible for its leadership during this phase, for the good of this country and its kind-hearted people who deserve life and see hope reflected in the eyes of their children,” he added. “From this hope, we look forward today, affirming and keeping in mind that ‘God is in her midst; she shall not be moved.’”
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.