Dear friends and supporters,
Many of you are watching, hearing and reading in the media about the murderous events
that have recently occurred in some places in Syria. What many of the older generation and
quite a few Christians and other minorities in Syria have feared after the political upheaval
has unfortunately come true recently, – a country in chaos. Although there is a (self-
proclaimed) “provisional” president and a transitional government appointed by the
president which is composed exclusively by young men with the exception of one single
woman, the country still has no official army, no regular police force and no functioning
courts. The old constitution was dissolved without having an alternative version and many
state employees were dismissed from one day to the next. State control is lacking in many
areas. The new, inexperienced government wants to assert itself and wants to demonstrate
that it is capable of governing. Unfortunately, this endeavor has not been as successful as
originally hoped for.
Many groups have failed to lay down their arms, neither the Kurds in Eastern East
Euphrates, nor the Druzes in the south, nor the Alawites (an Islamic denomination that is
under pressure from Sunnites) on the coast have turned in their weapons. Many officers of
the old army came from the coastal area. They did not give up their weapons and they were
abruptly dismissed without any further salaries for survival. In this area, there are also many
Christians of various denominations, mainly Orthodox ones.
The recently oppressed Alawites have rebelled against the government and have lured
government soldiers into traps and murdered them. Government fighters have called for a
fight (“jihad”) against the “remnants” (in Arabic “fulul”) of the old regime. Many videos of
hate preachers have circulated in the so-called social media. This caused fighters from the
uncontrolled armed brigades (in Arabic “fassa’el”), obviously including many foreign
mercenaries, to come and to blindly murder people in many areas in Latakia, Baniyas and
Djable. They even boasted themselves with these deeds and recorded their atrocities in
videos. However, the supporters of the old army cannot be seen in the videos. The people
killed were children, women and crippled persons. Christians were also murdered, not
because of their Christian faith, but because they are living in areas where there are also
Alawites. After murdering people, they plunder their homes and triumphantly display their
horrible deeds.
In the midst of this bloody carnage, which is perceived with horror by the whole world, in
the midst of grief, despair, anger and further feelings of retaliation and revenge, the Syrian
people suddenly and surprisingly received news on Monday, March 10, 2025, causing much
relief in the population, namely that President Al-Sharaa had reached an agreement with
the leader of the Kurds in Eastern Euphrates, Mazloum Abadi, which provides for the
unification of all military and civilian groups from both sides. In return, the rights of all
Syrian citizens must be guaranteed to be allowed to participate in governmental activities
and in political life according to their abilities. The document in question, which consists of
eight paragraphs, is welcomed by the majority of the population, and certainly by the
Christians. Some politicians in Syria believe that this document could serve as the basis forthe country’s future constitution. Others suspect that it is an attempt at diverting attention
from the bloody crimes in the coastal region. It is assumed that the USA has something to
do with this. Turkey was also urged to support the initiative. The objectives appear to be
purely political.
Negotiations with the Druzes in the south have been underway since March 11, 2025.
Everything seems to indicate that the situation is calming down. Nevertheless, many people,
including many Christians, remain somewhat skeptical. So far, there has been no sign of the
new government’s promised reforms or of the frequently mentioned return of refugees to
help rebuild the country. Life in Syria has become much more difficult during the recent
months. Poverty is constantly growing and there are hardly any jobs. Hundreds of thousands
of civil servants and state employees have been dismissed. Many people in higher positions
have been demoted. The families of the unemployed must somehow manage to survive
without an income. It is particularly challenging for those with chronic illnesses. Living
conditions are precarious in every respect. There is a serious lack of electricity and many
traders along the roadsides offer cheaper goods from Turkey. The stores sell very little and
have to pay taxes on top of that. This is forcing more and more stores to close down.
I am now receiving more calls than ever from Syria and I am constantly being asked the
same question: How can we get to Europe? For many people, especially Christians, the new
circumstances created by the revolution are almost unbearable. And yet, from my point of
view, it is absurd to go abroad. If someone leaves his house today, it will be plundered the
next day, both by the neighbors and by the unscrupulous fighters.
I have asked some of my friends what needs to be done for the Christians so that they can
survive in Syria. Most of them answer spontaneously: only the mercy of God can save us in
this situation.
I personally experience this mercy of God through those persons who are happy to offer
help out of pure charity. I thank God for the existence of such individuals. I continue to place
great hopes in such charitable persons.
I am convinced that this challenging situation offers Christians a chance to show that Christ
is truly the savior from misery. Christians should not flee, but they should rather be
compassionate and stand by their fellow human beings in need. There are many good
projects that can open up opportunities in this emergency situation. One promising project
of this type will be the establishment of several social markets (SOMAs). I would like to
present to you the plan for this project in a separate letter that will follow soon.
Until then, I wish you a blessed Lent and I ask you all to keep including the people in Syria in
your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hanna Ghoneim Vienna, March 13, 2025