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December 25, 2024 | 02:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Christians in the Syrian capital, Damascus, celebrated their first Christmas Eve Mass since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted on Tuesday, holding prayers in several churches.
It was an early test of the new Islamist rulers' pledge to protect the rights of minority religions in the country, Reuters reported.
The service was held amid tight security over fears of violence against Christian sites, with pickup trucks belonging to the ruling Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) parked around the church.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Damascus' old city was packed with worshippers in the evening, with worshippers receiving gifts at the entrance.
The church choir walked around the churchyard singing hymns. Scouts from the church rang bells to mark the start of the mass.
In his address, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Youssef Absi prayed for the restoration of "peace, unity, coexistence and dialogue" in Syria, stressing that working together would make this easier to achieve.
"Just as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, it will be the birth of a new Syria. Hopefully there will be a new birth, a new life after the fall of this regime."
"We hope for security and stability again," Jawal Abu Jeraf, one of the church's scouts, told Anadolu Agency.
"We hope the new government prepares a constitution that includes all elements in Syria and provides security and stability," Jeraf said.
He hopes that "the new government will take Syria to a much better place than before."
(Above picture) People are seen gathering near a decorated Christmas tree in Damascus, after Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Affaf Aqqa, who took part in the Christmas service, said Christmas means “light, hope, the beginning of a new life, the birth of peace and sincerity.”
“We hope that what happened in the past will remain in the past. We do not want revenge. Let us all live together in peace.”
Towards the end of the service, a group of security forces from Syria’s new government visited the church as part of the Christmas celebrations.
Hours before the service, hundreds of protesters in Damascus gathered to denounce the burning of a Christmas tree in the northern countryside of Hama province in central-west Syria.
Carrying wooden crosses, they chanted “We are your soldiers, Jesus,” “With our blood and souls, we sacrifice for Jesus,” and “The Syrian people are one.”
The burning of the Christmas tree was one of several incidents targeting Christians since the fall of the regime.
On December 18, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Greek Orthodox church in Hama city, entering the compound. They attempted to destroy a cross, as well as destroying gravestones in a cemetery, the church said in a statement.
In a separate incident, Reuters reporters saw SUVs driving through Bab Touma, a predominantly Christian neighborhood in Damascus, blasting jihadist songs from their loudspeakers.
De facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa has told Syria’s Christians and other minorities that they will be safe in Syria, ruled by HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate.
Although a former leader of the Sunni Islamist group, which views Christians as infidels, Sharaa has been quick to shed his jihadist fatigues and switch to business attire in recent appearances.
He has told visiting Western officials that HTS will not seek revenge against the Assad regime, whose senior figures are mostly from the Alawite sect of Islam, or other minority religious groups. But many Syrian Christians are not convinced.
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