In the midst of the civil war, churches and Christian-owned businesses have been targets of bombings by the Islamic State and other extremist groups, and there have been many reports of Christians being abducted, harmed and killed. Even so, many of Syria’s remaining Christians are committed to staying and rebuilding their country. Others are now returning home following IS’s military defeat.
Churches’ prayers show Syria’s “blood ecumenism”
Christians from different backgrounds have gathered in Damascus to stress the “blood ecumenism” uniting them through shared suffering in Syria. The “cry for peace” was joined by over 2,500, together with bishops of various Christian denominations, as well as nuns, priests, volunteers and scout groups, reported Asia News on Tuesday. […]
Syrian Christian pastor -“I don’t feel ‘seduced’ to leave Aleppo”
Aleppo, Syria’s largest city before the country’s raging war, is in the grip of continuous violence. East Aleppo is bombed almost daily by Syrian and Russian air forces; its west is frequently shelled by the rebels from the east. Only a small number of the more than 200,000 ‘pre-war’ Christians […]
Aleppo churches open doors to displaced Muslim families
Life hasn’t been easy for 28-year-old Syrian mother Kristina, a Christian of Armenian descent, who lived with her husband in Aleppo long before the civil war started in 2011. It was in that besieged city that Kristina gave birth to her firstborn daughter, 18 months ago. She’s brought the little […]
Aleppo: ‘Monsters devour one another in city of death and destruction’
An Aleppo nun has described the psychological damage of living in the city as “a pain greater than physical pain”. “Aleppo is a city broken by death, destruction and violence,” said Sister Annie Demerjian, during a visit to the UK to raise awareness of the desperate conditions for many living […]
ISIS defeated at ‘apocalyptic’ battleground, Dabiq
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have recaptured the symbolically important Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State (IS). A commander from the Hamza Brigade rebel group told the Associated Press resistance from IS was “minimal”. Dabiq holds major significance for IS as the location of a prophesied battle it . It’s […]
‘Apocalyptic’ battle for Dabiq, Syria ‘imminent’
US-backed Syrian rebels are reported to be closing in on the northern Syrian town of Dabiq, which holds major significance for ISIS as the location of a prophesied battle it believes will lead to the end of the world. It’s about 40km (25 miles) north-east of Aleppo and 10km (6.2km) […]
Kurdish YPG ‘occupy’ Assyrian villages in northeast Syria
As fighting intensifies to retake areas of north-eastern Syria from the so-called Islamic State (IS), the media spotlight shows the complexity of the military picture. The Khabur River region in Syria’s Hasakah province was attacked by IS in February 2015. Thirty-five Assyrian villages were emptied; days later IS kidnapped and […]
Kurds ‘expel Christians’ in Hassaka
Christians are being targeted as Kurdish militia assert their control in Syria’s north-eastern city of Hassaka, a senior local Christian leader has said. “Whenever the Kurdish militia enter in action to reaffirm its military hegemony over the city, the epicentre of their raids and acts of force is always the […]
Only 0.5% Syrian refugees now in US are Christian
Christians were a meagre half-percent of the Syrian refugees welcomed to the United States in 2016, according to a report researched by Fox News. The figure, representing a minority group Washington has already described as subject to genocide, contrasts sharply with last year’s estimated 10% Christian population of Syria. Since […]
Aleppo church helped ‘almost 2,000 Muslim refugees’
A church in the beleaguered Syrian city of Aleppo has opened its doors to Muslims as well as Christians fleeing the war. Nearly 2,000 Muslims have benefited from the help offered by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, including by the Church of Elias the Prophet, reported Ruptly.tv, an affiliate of Russia […]