‘The Church is dying – We are not heading towards greater religious freedom at all’ says Syrian Archbishop

AN ARCHBISHOP who survived being kidnapped by jihadis has warned the “Church in Syria is dying” as the number of Christians in the country continues to drop.

Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama and Al-Nabek, said the country’s “disastrous political and economic situation” was causing waves of migrations at the launch of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World 2025 report launch in Rome.

He warned that “the Church in Syria is dying” – around 2.1 million Christians lived in Syria in 2011 dropping to around 540,000 in 2024, according to estimates by ACN.

Archbishop Mourad said: “None of the efforts by the universal Church or the local Church managed to stem the tide of the exodus, because the causes are not related to the Church, but rather to the country’s disastrous political and economic situation.

“You can’t stop a wave of migration without first establishing a well-defined political government model in Syria and a solid security system.” 

He added: “The Syrian people continue to suffer violence, reprisals, and tragic and regrettable events that undermine all the international claims and popular demands to put an end to this bloodbath.

“We are become more and more like Afghanistan. We don’t have that level of violence yet, but we’re not that far off either. People are under all sorts of pressure. 

“Don’t think we are heading towards greater freedom, religious or otherwise.” 

Archbishop Mourad also expressed concern over a possible peace treaty with Israel that would cede the Golan Heights.

He said it would “deprive the inhabitants of Damascus of water sources and enslave them”. 

Archbishop Mourad added: “Who would accept a treaty such as this? Where are the human rights values that should help ensure that decisions are fair for both parties?”

He proposed that the international community “adopt a clear position regarding what is happening in Syria”, and also that “all local and international institutions and organisations that operate in Syria cooperate with cultural bodies, schools, universities and institutes to overcome the fear that has taken hold in society, and organise training courses on the role of legislation in the establishment of justice and the independence of the state’s judiciary”.

At the launch of the Religious Freedom in the World report launch on 21st October ACN launched a petition to protect Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights calling on governments to defend religious liberty, protect at-risk faith communities and provide emergency and legal aid for those suffering persecution because of their beliefs.

In a decade Christians have dropped from 6.3 percent of the population to 2.3 percent while Muslims have grown from 91.74 percent to 95.5 percent.

Archbishop Mourad was kidnapped in Syria by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in 2015 and managed to escape after five months in captivity.

Having been rescued by Muslims the 57-year-old now promotes fraternity between the two Abrahamic religions.

•  To sign the petition click here