Christianity in Syria

Christianity by country
Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China East Timor Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan Korea North Korea South Korea Kyrgyzstan Laos Macau Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam
Middle East Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen
Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
North America Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Oceania Australia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Christianity portal
v t e

Christians in Syria made up about 10% of the

According to the Catholic charity group Aid to the Church (ACN), number of Christians residing in Syria is estimated to have reduced from 1.5 million (10% of population) in 2011 to around 300,000 (less than 2%) in 2022. The decrease is due to large-scale emigration of Christians to Europe triggered by deteriorating living conditions caused by the civil war.^[8] US State Department estimates that Syrian Christians comprise 2.5-3% of the total population inside Syria, as of 2022.^[9]

Origins

The Christian population of Syria comprised 10% of the Syrian population before 2011.^[1] Estimates of the number of Christians in Syria in 2022 range from less than 2% to around 2.5% of the total Syrian population.^[4][10]

Most Syrians are members of either the

• the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches;
• the Eastern Catholic Churches, which are in communion with Rome;
• and the independent
  missionaries
  but only a small number of Syrians are members of Western rites.

The schisms that brought about the many sects resulted from political and doctrinal disagreements. The doctrine most commonly at issue was the nature of Christ. In 431, the

By the thirteenth century, breaks had developed between Eastern or Greek Christianity and Western or Latin Christianity. In the following centuries, however, especially during the Crusades, some of the Eastern churches professed the authority of the pope in Rome and entered into or re-affirmed communion with the Catholic Church. Today called the Eastern Catholic churches, they retain a distinctive language, canon law and liturgy.

Eastern Orthodoxy

The largest Christian denomination in Syria is the

Adherents of that denomination generally call themselves "Rūm" which means "Eastern Romans" or "Asian Greeks" in Arabic. In that particular context, the term "Rūm" is used in preference to "Yūnāniyyūn" which means "European Greeks" or Ionians in Classical Arabic. The appellation "Greek" refers to the Koine Greek liturgy used in their traditional prayers and priestly rites.

Members of the community sometimes also call themselves "Melkites", which literally means "supporters of the emperor" in Semitic languages - a reference to their past allegiance to

Syrians from the Greek Orthodox Community are also present in the Hatay Province of Southern Turkey (bordering Northern Syria), and have been well represented within the Syrian diasporas of Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Oriental Orthodoxy

Traditional Christianity in Syria is also represented by

The Syriac Orthodox Church is the largest

The

Of the Eastern Catholic Churches the oldest is the Maronite, with ties to Rome dating at least from the twelfth century. Their status before then is unclear, some claiming it originally held to the Monothelite heresy up until 1215, while the Maronite Church claims it has always been in union with Rome. The liturgy is in Aramaic (Syriac). The

Seven popes from Syria ascended the papal throne.[11]^[12] Many of them lived in Italy. Pope Gregory III,^[13][14] was the last pope born outside Europe before Francis (elected in 2013).

Numerical order	Pontificate	Portrait	Name English · Regnal	Personal name	Place of birth	Notes
1	33 – 64/67		St Peter PETRUS	Simon Peter	Bethsaida, Galilea, Roman Empire	Saint Peter was from village of Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
11	155 to 166		St Anicetus ANICETUS	Anicitus	Emesa, Syria	Traditionally martyred; feast day 17 April
82	12 July 685 – 2 August 686 (1 year+)		John V Papa IOANNES Quintus		Antioch, Syria
84	15 December 687 – 8 September 701 (3 year+)		St Sergius I Papa Sergius		Sicily, Italy	Sergius I was born in Sicily, but he was from Syrian parentage[15]
87	15 January 708 to 4 February 708 (21 days)		Sisinnius Papa SISINNIUS		Syria
88	25 March 708 – 9 April 715 (7 years+)		Constantine Papa COSTANTINUS sive CONSTANTINUS		Syria	Last pope to visit John Paul II in 2001
90	18 March 731 to 28 November 741 (10 years+)		St Gregory III Papa GREGORIUS Tertius		Syria	Third pope to bear the same name as his immediate predecessor.

Protestant Churches

In Syria, there is also a minority of

The number of Christians in Syria has been disputed for many decades. There has been no official census on religion in Syria since the 1960s.

Christians engage in every aspect of Syrian life and Syrian Christians are relatively wealthy and more highly

Separation

Syrian Christians are more urbanized than Muslims; many live either in or around Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, or Latakia. In the 18th century, Christians were relatively wealthier than Muslims in Aleppo.^[26][27] Syrian Christians have their own courts that deal with civil cases like marriage, divorce and inheritance based on Bible teachings.

The Constitution of Syria states that the President of Syria has to be a Muslim;^[4] this was as a result of popular demand at the time the constitution was written. However, Syria does not profess a state religion.

On 31 January 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented the new constitution (after reaching power through a military coup in 1970), which led to a national crisis. Unlike previous constitutions, this one did not require that the president of Syria to be of the Islamic faith, leading to fierce demonstrations in Hama, Homs and Aleppo organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the ulama. They labeled Assad as the "enemy of Allah" and called for a jihad against his rule.^[28] Robert D. Kaplan has compared Assad's coming to power to "a Jew becoming tsar in Russia - an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries."^[29]

The government survived a series of

Freedom of religion in the 2020s

In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom,^[30] with the government controlling the appointment of Muslim religious leaders, restricted proselytizing, a ban on conversion of Muslims and active terror threats.

In the same year, the country was ranked as the 12th most difficult place in the world to be a Christian.^[31]

Christian cities/areas

Christians spread throughout Syria and have sizable populations in some cities/areas; important cities/areas are:

• Melkite Catholic Church
  )
• Damascus – contains sizable Christian communities of all Christian denominations represented in the country
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Melkite Catholic Church
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
  )
• Al-Hasakah – has a large ethnic Assyrian/Syriac population (mostly members of Syriac Orthodox Church)
• Qamishli – has a large ethnic Assyrian/Syriac population (mostly members of Syriac Orthodox Church)
• Khabur River – 35 villages has a large ethnic Assyrian/Syriac population (mostly members of Assyrian Church of the East)
• Maharda, Al-Suqaylabiyah, Kafr Buhum, Toumin, Ayyo, Al-Biyah, Ain Halaqim, Barshin, Al-Bayda, Hazzour). Christians also live in the city of Hama
• Jisser al-Shughour.^[32]
• Daraa Governorate – several Christian towns and villages at the western side of the Lajat: Izra, Khabab, Bassir, Tubna, Al-Masmiyah and Shaqra, in addition to Ghasm and Rakhm in the southeastern part of the Governorate^[33]

Syrian Christians during the Civil War

See also:

Assad government forces.^[34]

Syrian Christians, in line with their fellow citizens, have been badly affected by the

military conscription, including Christians.^[35][36]

Christian population in Syria has significantly diminished due to the departure of many Christians from the country amidst the

Syrian National Revolutionary Coalition (SNRC), estimated that approximately two-thirds of Syrian Christians had left the country by 2021. The estimate was also verified by other Christian organizations in Syria.^[42]

During the Syrian civil war, several attacks by

YPG militias conducted a surprise attack on Assyrian checkpoints in Qamishli, in a predominantly Assyrian area, killing one Assyrian and wounding three others.^[43][44]

More than 120 churches and Christian places of worship have been destroyed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.[45] In November 2021, the Armenian Catholic Church of the Martyrs in Raqqa's city center was rebuilt by the aid group called the Free Burma Rangers.^[46][47]

Following a visit to Syria, to participante in a conference that brought together representatives of the Syrian churches and NGOs working with them in the country, Regina Lynch, project director for Aid to the Church in Need, described the difficult situation the local communities endure, but added that "for many Christians, the war has had a positive effect on the faith, and, in spite of everything, it has been an opportunity for the Church to put its teaching on charity and forgiveness into action".^[48]

Prominent Christian figures have been involved in revolutionary activities of the

Assad regime and 33 by various factions of the opposition.^[51][52][53]

Various human rights organizations have criticized the regime for deliberately launching large-scale attacks on Christian churches and arresting Christian citizens.

Syrian refugee population.^[4]

According to various reports, the total population of Syrian Christians residing in Syria has been reduced from 1.5 million before 2011 to around 300,000 as of 2022 (less than 2% of population). Rather than the persecution by IS during 2014-17, the decline has been mainly due to large-scale emigration of native Christians due to subsequent deterioration of living conditions in the war-torn country. Many rural and young Christians view emigration to Europe as a way to advance career opportunities in education and employment, in addition to providing better prospects for their families.^[56][57][8]

Notable Christians

• George Sabra, member of Syrian opposition.
• Philip Stamma
  , chess player
• Fares al-Khoury, Prime Minister of Syria (1944-1945) and (1954-1955)
• Mikhail Ilyan, Minister of Foregin affairs (1945)
• Michel Aflaq, philosopher and politician
• Dawoud Rajiha, Minister of Defence (2011-2012)
• Ibrahim Haddad, Minister of Oil and Mineral Reserves (2001-2006)
• Sami al-Jundi, politician
• Mikhail Wehbe, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations (1996-2003)
• Hammouda Sabbagh, Speaker of the People's Council of Syria since 2017
• Yohanna Ibrahim, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop and kidnapping victim
• Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo
  , Greek Orthodox Archbishop and kidnapping victim
• Paul of Aleppo, chronicler
• Maxim Khalil, actor
• Bassem Yakhour, actor
• George Tutunjian, musician
• Lena Chamamyan, singer
• Faia Younan, singer
• Nouri Iskandar, composer

See also

• Arab Christians
• Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem
• Christianity and Islam
• National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
• Christianity in the Middle East
• Religion in the Middle East
• Genocide of Christians by the Islamic State
• Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian Civil War
• 1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus
• Massacre of Aleppo (1850)
• Great Famine of Mount Lebanon (1915-1918)
• Late Ottoman genocides
• Religion in Syria
• Freedom of religion in Syria
• Catholic Church in Syria
• Eastern Orthodoxy in Syria
• List of monasteries in Syria
• List of churches in Aleppo
• St Baradates
• The Ascetical Homilies of Isaac the Syrian

References

1. ^ ^{a b} CIA World Factbook, People and Society: Syria
2. ^ ^{a b} The National News website, article dated September 11, 2019
3. ISBN 0-8028-1020-9
   .
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} US State Dept 2022 report
5. ^ The ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-28
6. ISBN 1-59333-176-2
   .
7. ^ ^{a b} Why Do So Few Christian Syrian Refugees Register With The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees?, Marwan Kreidie: Adjunct Professor of Political Science, West Chester University.
8. ^ ^{a b} al-Salem, Majd (22 June 2023). "Emigration empties Qamishli of its Christian people". Enab Baladi. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023.
9. ^ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Syria". U.S Department of State. 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023.
10. ^ al-Salem, Majd (22 June 2023). "Emigration empties Qamishli of its Christian people". Enab Baladi. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023.
11. ^ John Platts (1825). A new universal biography, containing interesting accounts. Printed for Sherwood, Jones, and co. p. 479.
12. ^ Archibald Bower, Samuel Hanson Cox (1845). The History of the Popes: From the Foundation of the See of Rome to A.D. 1758; with an Introd. and a Continuation to the Present Time, Volume 2. p. 14.
13. ^ John Platts (1825). A New Universal Biography: Forming the first volume of series. p. 483.
14. ^ Pierre Claude François Daunou (1838). The Power of the Popes. Tims. p. 352.
15. ^ "Saint Sergius I | pope".
16. ^ Lage- und Tätigkeitsbericht des Gustav-Adolf-Werkes für das Jahr 2013/14 Diasporawerk der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (GAW yearly report, in German)
17. ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". IJRR. 11: 14. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
18. ^ ^{a b c} Granli, Elisabet (2011). "Religious conversion in Syria : Alawite and Druze believers". University of Oslo.
19. ^ ^{a b} Samir Abdoh, "[1]", Christian Denominations in Syria, year 2003, p.33
20. ^ Hourani, Albert Habib (1947). Minorities in the Arab World. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 76.
21. ^ ^{a b} Samir Abdoh, "[2]", Christian Denominations in Syria, year 2003, p.37-39
22. ^ Fauzi Mardam Bek, "[3]", Die christliche Minderheit in Syrien, yeae 2003, p.392-393
23. Annales de géographie
    , Année 1955, Vol. 64, n° 341, p.75
24. ^ al-Jawziyyah, Ibn Qayyim (2008). Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah. Vol. 1. Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm. p. 121.
25. ^ "Un chrétien élu à la tête du Parlement syrien". 28 September 2017.
26. ^ Saint Terzia Church in Aleppo Christians in Aleppo (in Arabic) Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine
27. ^ BBC News Guide: Christians in the Middle East, last update 15 December 2005.
28. ISBN 978-0-8204-6924-9
    .
29. ^ Kaplan, Robert (February 1993). "Syria: Identity Crisis". The Atlantic.
30. ^ Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
31. ^ Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08
32. ^ "تقرير الطائفة المسيحية في إدلب". 15 April 2010.
33. ^ Muhammad, Ihsan (9 March 2022). "قرى مسيحية في درعا تفتقر للجيل الشاب وعائلات تسعى للهجرة". NPA Syria. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
34. ^ "The Syrian Regime Bears Primary Responsibility for 61% of the Targeting of Christian Places of Worship in Syria" (PDF). SNHR. 5 September 2019. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2019. the 'Church of the Lady of Peace' in Homs suffered seven attacks, all by Syrian regime forces, while the 'Church of Saint Takla' in Damascus suburbs suffered four attacks, which were also all by Syrian regime forces as well.
35. ^ "قانون خدمة العلم رقم 30, Syria Today Toronto Canada". Archived from the original on 2018-06-08. Retrieved 2017-08-06.
36. ^ European Union Agency for Asylum, Syria, Military Service Overview
37. ^ "Syria". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. the Christian population may be considerably smaller as a result of Christians fleeing the country during the ongoing civil war
38. ^ NGO report, Understanding recent movements of Christians from Syria and Iraq to other countries across the Middle East and Europe
39. ^ Syria: Homs Christians return to rebuild homes and lives - World Watch Monitor
40. ^ Enab Baladi website, article dated September 19, 2018
41. ^ Open Doors website, article dated December 6, 2017
42. ^ "Syria's Christian population reduced by two-thirds since 2011: party". rudaw. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021.
43. ^ "Kurdish YPG Forces Attack Assyrians in Syria, 1 Assyrian, 3 Kurds Killed".
44. ^ "Syria's Christians pressured by forced PYD assimilation".
45. ^ "Report: Over 120 Syrian churches damaged by war since 2011". ABC News.
46. ^ "Destroyed by ISIS, a Church Reborn | Free Burma Rangers".
47. ^ "Church Dedication". YouTube.
48. ^ "Syria: "Many Christians are short of hope, but any they do find comes from the Church"". ACN International. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
49. ^ Aubin, Sophian (14 March 2021). "Syria war: Ten years on, Syrian Christians say Assad 'has taken us hostage'". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021.
50. ^ ^{a b c} Fahmi, Dr Georges. "Most Syrian Christians Aren't Backing Assad (or the Rebels)". Chatham House. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021.
51. ^ Yamin, Moubayed, Barq, Stifo, Bahnan, Samira, Mirna, George (5 September 2017). "Don't be fooled: Assad is no friend of Syria's Christian minorities". The Hill. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
52. ^ "The Syrian Regime Bears Primary Responsibility for 61% of the Targeting of Christian Places of Worship in Syria". SNHR. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022.
53. ^ "Targeting Christian Places of Worship in Syria: 63% have been targeted by government's forces". reliefweb. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015.
54. ^ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Syria". U.S Department of State. 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Reports also stated that the authorities used sectarianism, including the politicization of religion, as a "survival strategy.".. human rights organizations reported that the regime intentionally destroyed churches and detained at least hundreds of Christian citizens.
55. ^ "لمطران حنا إبراهيم في حلب بسوريا: ثلث المسيحيين هاجروا منذ بدء الانتفاضة" [Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim in Aleppo, Syria: A third of Christians have emigrated since the start of the uprising]. BBC News Arabic. 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021.
56. ^ ^{a b} "Report: Number of Christians in Syria Dropped from 1.5 Million to 300,000". Syria Observer. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.
57. ^ "News". ACN United States. 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023.

Further reading

• Dick, Iganatios (2004). Melkites: Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholics of the Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem. Roslindale, MA: Sophia Press. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
• ISBN 9004120556
  .
• ISBN 978-0-19-921288-0
  .
• Leonhardt, Christoph (2018). "The Greek- and the Syriac-Orthodox Patriarchates of Antioch in the Context of the Syrian Conflict" (PDF). Chronos: Revue d'Histoire de l'Université de Balamand. 33: 21–54.
  S2CID 54732620. Archived from the original
  (PDF) on 2019-03-09.
• ISBN 9780881410563
  .
• Rompay, Lucas van (2008). "The East: Syria and Mesopotamia". The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 365–386.
  ISBN 978-0-19-927156-6
  .

External links

• European Centre for Law and Justice (2011): The Persecution of Oriental Christians, what answer from Europe?