Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Lebanese and Syrian Christian Maronites pray for peace in Syria. (CNS photo/Hasan Shaaban, Reuters)

In Jordan’s capital city, Amman, prayers for peace were being offered by refugee Syrian Christians as talks between the warring sides in Syria’s civil war opened in the Swiss town of Montreux. Dubbed Geneva II, the talks aim for a transitional government, an end to the violence and the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid. Expectations among displaced Syrians for a peaceful outcome in Geneva were low, however. “Of course, the Geneva II talks must happen. But how will the extremist groups threatening Christians and other Syrians inside the country be dealt with?” asked Abu Reda, a Syrian Catholic. Church officials and rights groups say that many Christians have tried to remain neutral in Syria’s conflict. But fighting continues to put pressure on the small Christian population, leading to fears that more Syrian Christians will join those who have already left the Middle East.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

This special deep dive episode recaps the 2024 Vatican meeting of the Synod on Synodality, featuring interviews with five synod delegates about the tensions and unexpected breakthroughs in the Synod hall—and outside it.
Inside the VaticanJanuary 30, 2025
Syrians hold a copy of the Quran next to a Christian cross during a demonstration in support of unity among minorities and the ousting of the Bashar Assad government in Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
The rapid victory of the Sunni opposition fighters over regular army units loyal to Mr. al-Assad has left many wondering how Syria’s minority faith groups—Alawites, Christians, Shiites and others—will fare as H.T.S. consolidates its control.
Clotilde BigotJanuary 30, 2025
In order for the United States to remain “a government of laws, not of men,” all officials entrusted with elected authority must recognize the necessity and justice of constraints on their own power.
The EditorsJanuary 30, 2025
It is no secret that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops receives federal grants to assist in refugee resettlement.
Leilani FuentesJanuary 30, 2025