Syria: Christians return to Ghassaniyah

Christian families are returning to the village in the Orontes Valley to claim their homes and lands 14 years after it was occupied by armed Islamists, who killed Fr François Mourad. For Father Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, every true reconstruction is based “on the strength of faith, and of the power of forgiveness”.

Milan (AsiaNews)— While the world's attention was on the visit by Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the United States, Christian communities in northern Syria experienced a very special day.

Last Saturday, several Christian families were able to repossess their homes and lands in Ghassaniyah 14 years after they were forced out by armed Islamist groups.

This village is one of the historic communities in the Orontes Valley, a place where the Church has ancient roots.

Christians here like to call themselves the descendants of Saint Paul, because, according to tradition, the apostle travelled through these hills on his journey from Jerusalem to Antioch.

These communities have endured extreme persecution since 2011, when Islamist militias occupied the area in their long war against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The Ghassaniyah convent, especially, was the site of the martyrdom of Father François Mourad, a Syrian priest killed on 23 June 2013, while providing pastoral service and assistance to refugees together with the friars of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Given this background, it is understandable that the official return of Christians to the village on 8 November 2025 will remain etched in the collective memory of the community.

The ceremony also had a significant ecumenical dimension. Along with the Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, Bishop Hanna Jallouf (who hails from the Orontes Valley where he served as a priest), those present included the Greek Orthodox Bishop of Lattakia, Athanasius Fahed, and Rev Ibrahim Nuseir, president of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. Together, they represented all the Christian communities in Al-Ghassaniyah.

Reading a message from the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, Friar Francesco Ielpo, Father Bahjat Karakash said: “On this day of grace, we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah resonate: Return to your land with joy, and your eyes will see consolation” (Is 51:11).

“This return is a sign of community rebirth, of the strength of faith, and of the power of forgiveness, upon which every true reconstruction is founded,” the Custos wrote. “May the light of the risen Christ, our true Peace, continue to illuminate Syria and all the lands entrusted to our care, and make our ministry of peace and reconciliation fruitful.”

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• syria
• ghassaniyah
• christians
• return
• islamist occupation
• custos
• holy land
• francesco ielpo