Syrian archbishop warns Catholic Church is dying amid Islamist rule, exodus, and violence; population falls from 2.1M to 540K since 2011.
Newsroom (30/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Church in Syria is “dying,” a senior archbishop warned Thursday, as the country reels from political upheaval, economic collapse, and rising sectarian violence under a new Islamist-led government.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama, and al-Nabek delivered the stark assessment during the launch of the Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025 in Rome, hosted by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Speaking to an audience of clergy, diplomats, and journalists, the Syriac Catholic prelate described a Christian community gripped by fear and exodus. “None of the efforts by the Universal Church or the local Church managed to stem the tide of the exodus,” Mourad said, attributing the flight not to religious persecution alone but to Syria’s “disastrous political and economic situation.”
ACN estimates that Syria’s Christian population has plummeted from 2.1 million in 2011 — before the civil war erupted — to roughly 540,000 in 2024.
The archbishop’s remarks come nearly a year after Sunni Islamist forces toppled President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. The new regime, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has publicly pledged to protect religious minorities, but Mourad cited persistent attacks on non-Sunnis, many accused of ties to the former government.
“You can’t stop a wave of migration without first establishing a well-defined political government model in Syria and a solid security system,” he said.
Mourad painted a grim picture of daily life: “The Syrian people continue to suffer violence, reprisals, and tragic and regrettable events that undermine all the international claims and popular demands to put an end to this bloodbath.”
He warned that Syria risks sliding toward an Afghan-style theocracy. “We are becoming more and more like Afghanistan,” he said. “We don’t have that level of violence yet, but we’re not that far off either. People are under all sorts of pressure. Don’t think we are heading towards greater freedom, religious or otherwise.”
The archbishop called on the international community to take a firm stance and urged local and foreign institutions to collaborate with Syrian schools, universities, and cultural bodies to combat widespread fear and promote judicial independence.
Mourad also criticized speculation about a possible peace treaty with Israel that would cede the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981. Such a deal, he argued, would deprive Damascus residents of vital water resources and “enslave them.”
“Who would accept a treaty such as this?” he asked. “Where are the human rights values that should help ensure that decisions are fair for both parties?”
On Sunday, Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited the Church of the Virgin Mary in Damascus’s Old City, where he reiterated government commitments to safeguard Christians. The gesture offered a rare moment of reassurance amid mounting anxiety.
Still, Mourad expressed cautious hope that global advocacy might yet help. “Raising our voices at this moment may be beneficial to our country,” he said.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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