Syria (MNN) — Syria’s de-facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, met with Christian clerics in Damascus on New Year’s Eve. This positive step came after several alarming incidents in the week leading up to Christmas.
On December 18, gunmen damaged a Greek Orthodox church in Hama, Syria. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the attack, and Syrian police responded quickly and arrested several people. Then on December 23, eight men publicly burned a Christmas tree in a majority-Christian town near Hama. That led hundreds of people across Syria to protest on Christmas Eve, calling for protection of minorities.
Satellite dishes. Photo courtesy of SAT-7.
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) does not appear to be affiliated with either incident. It maintains its promise to look out for the interests of minorities in Syria’s future.
SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. They come alongside local churches and their pastors, including those in Syria.
“[In Syria,] SAT-7 not only provides the gospel to people across the region, but we also give a voice to church leaders and Christians who can say, ‘I’m concerned about this,’ or, most importantly, ‘Will you pray about this?’” says Joe Willey with SAT-7.
“So right now, the church is waiting. The church leaders, thankfully, are praying and really trying to discern what is next for the church in Syria.”
Despite positive signs, a peaceful future is a fragile hope. Please pray for Christians to have freedom to worship God.
“[Syria needs] the freedom to worship, the freedom to be a Christian and not suffer persecution, which is what Christians have suffered under the previous regime,” Willey says.
“Pray — not letting [only] the church in Syria or the Middle East pray for the Middle East. It’s a responsibility and a privilege of Christians around the world to pray for other brothers and sisters, and our brothers and sisters in Syria really do need our prayers right now.”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Omar Ramadan via Unsplash.
