Cardinal to visit Christians in Syria on mission from Pope

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches will visit Lebanon and Syria from January 23 to 30, the Holy See Press Office announced on the eve of his departure. No visits with politicians have yet been announced in his official diary, as his schedule is dedicated exclusively to visiting local Christian communities.

This visit takes on a special significance, however, six weeks after the fall of Bashar El-Assad's regime and the arrival of a new government with an Islamist paradigm, but which has sent numerous signals of openness to Christians.

“The Holy Father has instructed Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, to travel to Syria to bring his embrace and blessing to the country's Catholics,” the dicastery said in the statement.

The Pope hopes that “in the current situation of Syria, the nation’s Catholics may feel the affection and support of the entire Catholic Church, and in particular of the Bishop of Rome, who continues to pray for them,” it adds.

Without explicitly mentioning the recent regime change, the Pope expresses his hope that “the constraints that have driven Syrians into misery and encouraged dramatic emigration will finally be lifted,” the dicastery goes on to say.

Francis thus calls for “the reconstruction of a peaceful country whose prosperity is assured by all its components, with respect for freedom, the dignity of the human person and diversity, beginning with the drafting of the new Constitution.”

He adds that the Catholic Church will do its utmost “to help, in every possible way, the rebirth of noble Syria.”

In addition to stops in Beirut at the beginning and end of his trip, Cardinal Gugerotti — accompanied by Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio to Syria — will visit the country's various Catholic communities from January 24 to 29: Greek-Melkite, Maronite, Chaldean, Syriac, Armenian, and Latin.

In Damascus and Aleppo, he will meet with local community leaders and charitable organizations of the local Churches. Then, in Homs he will take part in the plenary assembly of Catholic bishops.

He is also due to meet Orthodox leaders, including the primate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Ignatius Ephrem II Karim, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X.

Although ecumenical issues are not directly part of his jurisdiction, Cardinal Gugerotti will bring them greetings from Pope Francis, assuring them that in the current situation, “Christian unity is an inescapable imperative” and that “the Catholic Church is ready for any cooperation,” the dicastery for the Eastern Churches further states.

On January 25, the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, Cardinal Gugerotti will preside over the Eucharist at the Memorial of St. Paul, built on the site where the apostle received the Lord's call to conversion, according to tradition.

The Italian cardinal will also venerate the relics of the holy martyrs of Damascus in the Latin church and in the Maronite cathedral in Bab Touma.

Cardinal Gugerotti's official agenda does not yet include any contact with the country's new leaders. The Holy See had been cautious after the December 8 fall of Bashar Al-Assad and the installation in power of the Islamist group HTS (Hayat Tahrir Al Sham), which had already established a breakaway administration in Idleb province since 2019, under the name of the “Syrian Salvation Government.”

In the hours following the regime change in Damascus, the Holy See didn't hide its concern. “I think we are all concerned about what is happening in Syria, also because of the speed with which these events have unfolded. It's difficult to understand what's going on,” admitted Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State, speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Milan, according to remarks picked up by Vatican media on December 10.

Cardinal Parolin said he was “impressed by the fact that a regime that seemed so strong, so solid, has, in a short space of time, been completely destroyed.”

Calling for caution, he said he hoped “that those who take over will try to create a government that is open to all and respectful of all.”

The first decisions taken by the new regime seemed to point in this direction. During his first weeks in power, the new Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Charaa multiplied his signals of openness towards Christians. Receiving Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, on December 31, 2024, the former jihadist leader confided to him that he considered Christians not as “a minority” but as “an important and integral part of the history of the Syrian people,” the Franciscan recounted in L'Osservatore Romano.

The Syrian leader also explained that he considered Pope Francis to be “a true man of peace,” saying in particular that he appreciated his appeals “in favor of peoples in difficulty.”

The Syrian civil war, which has involved numerous actors and rival groups since 2011, may have claimed nearly 600,000 lives, including more than 300,000 civilians, according to UN statistics. Christians, who made up between 8% and 10% of the population in 2011, now account for only between 2% and 3%.