By Peter Anderson
Patriarch John X, the head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in Syria.
On December 8, 2024, the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. The Assad family had ruled Syria through oppressive measures since 1971. The collapse occurred as the result of an offensive launched on November 27 by armed opposition groups headed by the organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
HTS had previously been associated with al-Qaeda and had been branded a terrorist organization by the United States in 2018. However, after launching the offensive, HTS gave assurances that it would respect the various religious denominations, including Christians. On December 31, Sharaa met with senior Christian leaders and affirmed that Christians are an integral part of Syrian society.
The roots of Christianity in Syria go back to Apostolic times. St. Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. Antioch, then the largest city in Syria, was where the followers of Jesus were called “Christians” for the first time. Because St. Peter was involved in the founding of the Church of Antioch, the bishop of Antioch became known as a “patriarch” and was the third in importance after the Patriarchs of Rome and Alexandria.
Over the years, the Patriarchate of Antioch has been subject to divisions. In 451 many in Syria did not accept the Council of Chalcedon and became what is now the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. Those who accepted the Council became what is now the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. The latter experienced further divisions when the Maronites departed in 685 and when the Melkites left in 1724. The Maronites and Melkites are now in union with Rome.
In the 14th century (1300s), the administrative center of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was moved to Damascus, but the Church remains the “Patriarchate of Antioch.” Since 1899, all of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch have been Arab Christians, but the Patriarchate retains the title “Greek Orthodox.” The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate uses the Byzantine rite, but the liturgical language is primarily Arabic. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is now the largest Christian denomination in Syria, followed by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate.
The civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, has caused a great exodus of Christians from Syria. At the beginning of the war, it was estimated that there were approximately 1.5 million Christians in Syria. Now the estimate is approximately 300,000.
The Assad regime, in spite of its terrible human rights record, had provided Christians in Syria some protection from Muslim extremists. This was especially true after Russian armed forces came to Syria in 2015.
Historically, the Russian Empire had assisted the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch when Syria was under Ottoman rule. The presence of the Russian military in Syria beginning in 2015 provided some assurance that there would not be persecution against the Patriarchate by Muslim extremists. However, the fall of the Assad regime and the departure of Bashar al-Assad to Moscow meant that this Russian protection would now be largely eliminated.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He declared Greece’s support for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate that is now the largest Christian denomination in Syria, followed by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate
In the face of fears that the situation for Christians would worsen, HTS has given assurances that it would respect the interests of Christians. On December 16, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Patriarch John X, the head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, and declared Greece’s support for the Patriarchate. Rather than Russia, the Patriarchate may now have a new “protector” — Greece. On December 10, Patriarch John and the Patriarchs of the Syriac and Melkite Patriarchates agreed that they needed to work together for the future of Syria. These may be very good signs for the future, but only time will tell.
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