"We Are Not Asking to Be Protected": Syrian Patriarch Declares Christians Partners in Rebuilding Nation
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, John X Yazigi, declared during New Year's Mass at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus that Syrian Christians are not seeking protection from others but are instead partners with fellow citizens in protecting and building their homeland. Speaking on January 1, 2026, Patriarch Yazigi emphasized the principle of shared citizenship as Syria enters a new era following the fall of the Assad regime.
"We, as Christians in this land, are not asking to be protected," Yazigi stated. "Together with our fellow citizens, we protect and build this land." The patriarch described the occasion as marking a turning point for the country and the wider region, saying
"Today we turn a page in our lives on this earth. We turn this page in Damascus and in the East, which Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Easts, intended to be the place where humanity meets its Creator."
During the service, Yazigi offered prayers for peace in Syria, Lebanon, the Middle East, and the world. He prayed specifically for those abducted during the conflict, including Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim and his own brother Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, both bishops of Aleppo who were kidnapped in 2013. The patriarch also prayed for the martyrs of Mar Elias Church, where a June 2025 suicide bombing killed 22 people and injured 59 in Damascus.
Yazigi declared, "We will not abandon or surrender, even if some are tempted to emigrate," recalling words from his predecessor Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim: "I reject the idea of a Middle East without Christians and Christianity, for Christ Himself is Middle Eastern." The patriarch stressed that Syrian Christians come from the land of the Levant, from Antioch of the Apostles, and are not guests but indigenous to the region with roots stretching back to the first century.
The statement comes as Syria's Christian community, which made up approximately 10 percent of the pre war population but now constitutes less than 2 percent, faces an uncertain future under the new government led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham, a former al Qaeda affiliated group. Despite assurances from the new administration that Christians will remain an integral part of Syria's social fabric, church leaders have expressed cautious optimism tempered by skepticism.
Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa met with Patriarch Yazigi in October 2025, presenting him with the Muhammadan Covenant, a document attributed to Prophet Muhammad guaranteeing religious and social rights of Christians.
Al Sharaa wrote in the patriarchal guest book, "Damascus is the cradle of the first coexistence known to humanity. Preserving it is a covenant, a pledge, and a duty."
However, incidents targeting Christians continue to raise concerns. A suicide bombing on January 1, 2026, killed a member of the Internal Security Forces and wounded several others in Aleppo's Bab al Faraj area.
Throughout 2025, Christians faced sporadic attacks including church shootings in Hama and Homs, a burned Christmas tree, cemetery vandalism, and attempted arson at churches. The Islamic State has specifically targeted Christian communities since the regime change.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
"We are not asking to be protected." Six words that demolish the Western narrative about Middle Eastern Christians as helpless victims.
Patriarch Yazigi declared what secularists cannot comprehend: Syrian Christians are not minorities begging for tolerance. They are indigenous people of a land Christian since before Islam existed, rebuilding their nation as equal partners, not protected dhimmis.
The Syrian Christian population dropped from 10 percent to less than 2 percent during the civil war. Yet here stands the patriarch declaring they will not surrender or abandon their homeland, even as suicide bombings continue and former al Qaeda militants run their government. This is faith that costs something. Western Christianity abandons neighborhoods when property values drop. Syrian Christians refuse to abandon the land where Christianity was born despite facing actual persecution and death. They're not looking for protection. They're declaring partnership in rebuilding, trusting God while staring down extremists. That's the courage the comfortable Western church has forgotten exists.
TAKE ACTION
Aid to the Church in Need Syria: Website: https://acnuk.org Support direct relief to Syrian Christians remaining in their homeland and rebuilding efforts for destroyed churches
Open Doors Syria Relief: Website: https://www.opendoorsuk.org Email: inspire@opendoorsuk.org Fund emergency aid and support for Syrian believers facing ongoing persecution
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch: Support Patriarch Yazigi's efforts to maintain Christian presence and rebuild communities through international Orthodox networks
Pray for Syrian Christians: Intercede daily for believers choosing to stay and rebuild rather than flee. Pray for Metropolitans Youhanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, kidnapped since 2013.
Contact Your Government: Demand policies supporting indigenous Christian communities in Syria. Urge lifting sanctions that harm Syrian reconstruction while protecting minority rights. Website: https://www.house.gov and https://www.senate.gov
Advocate for Constitutional Protections: Support Syrian church leaders' call for new constitution guaranteeing equal citizenship and religious freedom for all Syrians
