The majority of the faithful of the archdiocese, he explained, “are peasants who farm, produce, and live off their hard labor. Most of our families are poor, and they’re getting poorer due to the economic crisis that’s going on in our country due to sanctions and corruption.”
The crisis in Syria began in 2011, in the midst of protests of the so-called “Arab spring,” which led to the overthrow of rulers in some countries in the region.
Muslim terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State joined the protests demanding the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The violence sparked a civil war, with the Syrian government having Russia and Iran as allies, and Turkey as an adversary.
Hundreds of thousands have died in the war, and while the violence has decreased in recent years, an economic crisis still grips the country and its people.
In a region where Orthodox Christians and Muslims coexist, the archbishop-elect explained that “when we have activities to distribute things like at Christmas, we cannot only consider our Christians, or Syrian Catholics, because we have to share everything with others.”
“It’s not a nice witness that things are exclusively ours. That’s why we try to involve others in our activities, because this is the good witness of Christ’s love for the whole world,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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