Syria, Bishop Jallouf: It’s Not a New Civil War

Vatican News has published an article in Italian, with no English translation, that may be of interest to our readers regarding goings on in Syria. It is an interview with Bishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo and spiritual leader of the Latin Catholics of Syria. Below is an AI translation of the interview by Roberto Cetera.¹

For more background on what is going on — and perhaps a more realistic outlook on the situation — we suggest “Who is really behind the deadly attacks on Christians in Syria?”

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The Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo speaks about the recent clashes between the current “government forces” and the Alawites, largely former Assad loyalists, in the coastal areas of the Middle Eastern country: when there’s such a sudden change at the top, “it takes time for political, social, and military stabilization.” Due to the violence, over 1,300 people have reportedly died, including women and children.

VATICAN CITY (Roberto Cetera/Vatican News) — What is happening in Syria? Are the armed clashes of recent days plunging the country back into civil war? Is the new regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa betraying its promises of national reunification and tolerance towards minorities? The Vatican media asked Bishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo and spiritual leader of the Latin Catholics of Syria. “From the news we have been able to gather through our faithful and from the official version of the government authorities,” he explains, “it would seem that militiamen who remained loyal to the deposed President Bashar al-Assad attempted an armed insurrection aimed at overthrowing the current regime, an initiative that was then harshly repressed by pro-government forces. According to an initial reconstruction, it appears that the initiative was planned in the days preceding it at a meeting between former Alawite officials of the Assad government, the Syrian branch of Hezbollah, and pro-Iranian Shiite militias. The theater of these clashes, however, has been limited to the Mediterranean coastal strip, starting in Jableh and extending along the Latakia province, up to the inner edge of the city of Homs. During the first attack, about twenty soldiers of the new government were killed, and as many in a second attack on a checkpoint manned by government forces. This then triggered a very harsh reaction from government forces, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. Unfortunately, I understand that some Christians have also been killed; but accidentally, not as Christians.”

Is this a sign of the return, after just three months, of the civil war in Syria?
I would be inclined to say no. For several reasons. First, it should be noted that these are very localized episodes, which so far have not spread to the rest of the country. Here in Aleppo, but also in Damascus, the situation is completely calm. Secondly, we must consider that when a regime change as sudden as the one on December 8th takes place—and in a country torn apart by years of civil war—it takes a period of time, even a long one, for the political, social, and military situation to stabilize, during which strong tensions may occur. Personal or clan interests that have been compromised and are seeking revenge also come into play. Third, we must keep in mind that when we talk about “government forces,” we are not talking about a structured army (the previous one dissolved like snow in the sun), but about armed groups led by Hayat Tahir al Sham. Not responding to a single command, it is possible that some of these groups act with excessive violence towards the insurgents.

Doesn’t this contradict the calls for national pacification that were expressed by the new leadership after the regime change?
It seems to me that the words expressed in these hours by the pro-tempore president al-Sharaa are marked by prudence and responsibility. On the one hand, he said that a hostile resistance from the nostalgic of the old regime was to be expected and must be forcefully rejected, on the other hand, he continues to maintain that there is no other path for Syria than that of national pacification, through coexistence between the various ethnic groups and religious creeds that live on this land of ours.

What is happening instead on the border between Syria and Israel?
Israel continues to occupy Syrian territories beyond the old Golan border, and apparently without this having the character of temporariness. Israel justifies the latest military actions as defense and support for the Druze populations. There have been forms of violence against the Druze by autonomous Islamic militias in Suwayda and Jaramana, a suburb of the capital, which the Damascus government has failed to prevent. But it remains to be understood what Israel’s authentic intentions are. Just as the real intentions of the other actors who historically have a role in this chessboard are not clear: Russia, the USA, and Turkey. We trust that there will be no more foreign interests fomenting internal divisions: Syria must become united again and to be united it must be independent.

In such a precarious and tense context, what is the role of Christians?
We remain faithful to the promises made by President al-Sharaa of respect and participation of all minorities, whether ethnic or religious. We now want to see concrete actions in this regard from the new government. Indeed, we no longer want to be considered a minority, but participants with equal rights and duties in the new Syria. I, together with other bishops of the Christian denominations, participated in the congress promoted for the drafting of the new Constitution. We formulated our proposals in terms of peace, unity, independence and multi-religiosity. And they were recorded and accepted. We expect that the international community will also be able to make its contribution to the construction of peace in Syria.

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