The head of the US Catholic bishops’ international justice committee is calling on nations to help Syria after the 8 December fall of the Assad dictatorship in a lightning rebel offensive after 13 years of civil war.
“In yet another dramatic development in the Middle East, after enduring more than a decade of bloody civil war, Syria is undergoing a national political transition that will surely impact the entire region,” said Bishop A Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chair of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.
In a 10 December statement, Bishop Zaidan said that the US and the global community should support Syria as it “starts a new chapter in its rich history.”
The rebel offensive ended the five-decade rule of the Assad family, which has been marked by violent repression and brutal crackdowns on dissent.
As of 2024, 16.7 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian aid. More than half of Syria’s 23 million pre-war population is displaced, with 5.2 million refugees and 6.8 million internally displaced persons, according to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
Bishop Zaidan said, “I urge the United States and the international community to keep the people of Syria in prayer and to closely monitor the situation so that all aid organisations are able to reach those most in need.”
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