The apostolic nuncio in Damascus - who turns 80 next January - is among the cardinals called to choose Bergoglio's successor. Despite the war and violence, he has never left his diplomatic mission or the Christian community. The ‘poverty bomb’, the tragedy of sanctions and the issue of the disappeared, which also affects the Syrian Church.
At least seven deaths in a border area. The fragility of a frontier that has long been a free zone for trafficking and illicit trade. Fears of an escalation with the Jewish state and US manoeuvres for ‘normalisation’. In the spirit of the Abu Dhabi declaration, Christians and Muslims celebrate the feast of the Annunciation today.
Lebanon considers it ‘imperative’ that the Syrian refugees in the country, at least 1.5 million, be repatriated. The change of leadership in Damascus also changes their status. At the meeting of donor countries organised by the EU, the Foreign Minister calls for ‘stopping crisis management and starting to resolve the crisis’, starting with the sanctions that must be cancelled.
Kurdish and Druze conditional reintegration is an important sign for Ahmed al-Sharaa's Syria, despite great fragility. However, the draft constitution recognises Islamic law as the basis of legislation. Meanwhile, Israel tries to temp Druze in Suwayda. Alawite massacres cast a dark shadow.
After days of violence and more than a thousand dead, including some Christians, the al-Sharaa government has declared the operation against the Alawites on the west coast of the country over. Damascus also signed a merger agreement with the Kurds. For the archbishop of Homs, peace requires an international presence and the end of sanctions. So far, the authorities have not fulfilled their promises.
Scores of Christians – priests, mothers, children – were caught up in the violence triggered by a revolt that broke out in Assad's former stronghold. In a message, Syrian patriarchs bemoan the “dangerous escalation of violence, torture and murder” against “innocent civilians, including women and children”. Syria’s Islamist president makes a belated appeal for unity. Fr Jihad calls for “fasting and prayers” for peace.
