Syrian Christians abandoned by the West – mother superior

Syria’s Christian community has never received political support from the West, particularly Europe, according to Agnes Mariam de la Croix, the mother superior at the Monastery of Saint James the Mutilated in Syria.  

The abbess made the remarks while talking to RT on Tuesday in light of the recent incident involving the burning of a Christmas tree in the Syrian Orthodox city of Hama by a group of Islamist fighters.  

The incident has stirred anger among local residents, with hundreds of demonstrators having taken to the streets in the Christian neighborhoods of Damascus on Monday amid fears of further crackdowns on Syria’s religious minorities.  

Videos circulating online showed hooded figures setting fire to the tree at a traffic circle in the Christian-majority town of Al-Suqalabiyah near the city of Hama in central Syria. 

Reacting to the events, de la Croix pointed out that after seizing power the jihadist groups, particularly the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), have promised to take care of minorities and even paid unexpected visits to spiritual leaders in Aleppo, Hama, and Damascus. 

Nevertheless, the community has been “targeted by different ways of discrimination and misunderstanding of our Christian symbols, especially in this holy realm on Christmas Eve,” she said. 

Asked about reports of European assistance to Syria’s Christian community, de la Croix replied, “we don’t rely on protection from the West, I regret to say it.” 

She noted that Europe has never genuinely assisted Christians in Syria. On the contrary, she said, there was always a feeling it was “even forbidden for us to talk about the prosecution of Christians.” She said European politicians “were not very happy” when she talked about the issue. 

HTS jihadists launched a surprise offensive in the northern Syrian provinces of Idlib and Aleppo late last month. After the city of Aleppo fell within days, the group advanced south on Damascus, capturing the towns of Suqaylabiyah, Hama, and Homs along the way before they were joined by US-armed Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants for a final push on the capital. Former Syrian President Bashar Assad left for Russia, where he has been granted asylum. 

Under Assad, Christians and other religious minorities were allowed to openly practice their faith.   

HTS leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa has vowed to lead Syria into an era of change, promising an inclusive vision where all religious and ethnic groups are represented. However, with HTS in charge, many now reportedly fear persecutions. 

“We feel insecure, at least,” de la Croix said, noting it is not only about Christians, but there had been aggression against other minorities too.  

Burning a Christmas tree means “burning our principles, faith, joy, and fist of Christmas,” according to de la Croix, who described it as “an insult” against the community. 

The abbess raised hope for improvement of the “terrible uncertainty” situation for the Syrian ethnic and religious minorities in the future.