(Xavier Burgos/ACN) — The end of Christianity in Syria would be a great loss, because “the Church stands as a reminder to every one of the ethics of justice and human dignity as a supreme value,” says Archbishop Jacques Mourad.
The Church in Syria is “dying,” a Syriac Catholic bishop warned recently, during a presentation in Rome.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama, and al-Nabek said the Church in Syria faces an unbearable and unsustainable political and legal situation, with Christians leaving the country in search of better living conditions.
Archbishop Mourad, 57, is a member of a monastic community committed to promoting fraternity between Christians and Muslims, in a country where the former makes up 2.3% of the population and the latter 95%. He was recently in Rome, taking part in the presentation of the Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025, organized by pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Archbishop Mourad, who was abducted by the Islamic State group in 2015, avoided speaking about the trials he endured at the hands of the jihadists, preferring to mention the Muslims who helped him escape captivity. In a soft voice, but with clear words, he expressed his hope that “raising our voices at this moment may be beneficial to our country.”
Around 2.1 million Christians lived in Syria in 2011, according to ACN estimates, whereas in 2024, the number was closer to 540,000.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad speaking at a public conference in the Auditorium of the Pontifical Patristic Institute Agostinianum in Rome, Italy. Photo credit: ACN/Flavio Ianniello.
