Arab Bishop tells Islamic rebels that Christians can’t be ‘second-class citizens’ in Syria

Dec 13, 2024 by Jill

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post:

Leaders of churches and ecclesial communities in Syria met with representatives of the armed Islamic-led rebel groups that seized control of the country amid fears that Christians could face persecution or strict regulations that could disrupt their faith life.

Monday’s meeting in Aleppo followed the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime’s rule earlier this month after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group linked with Al-Qaeda, seized various cities. The rebels captured Damascus days after the takeover of Aleppo and Hama.

Religious leaders met with the Islamic-led forces at the Franciscan church and convent, which is also the location of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Catholics of the Latin Rite.

An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in places where a diocese has not yet been established.

“We were all present: bishops, priests and religious,” Chaldean Jesuit Bishop Antoine Audo of Alep told Fides in a statement. Reflecting on Monday’s summit, Audo described it as a “positive meeting.”

The Islamist forces reportedly assured Christian leaders during the meeting that they would not attempt to change or regulate ecclesiastical communities by, for example, implementing rules against boys and girls studying together at school. According to Audo, the new forces claimed they wanted to “build trust by respecting [their] traditions and [their] prayers.”

“I told them that we, as Arab Christians, represent a unique reality in history and in the world. I recalled some examples of the history of Muslim Arabs with Christians and the contribution of Christians to this history,” Audo said.

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