In Syria, the hope for a “plural” future
by Jean-Charles Putzolu
In Damascus, just a few days after the fall of the regime and the flight of President Bashar al-Assad, scenes of jubilation are gradually giving way to a return to normal life, as the new authorities take charge and reassure the population about their intentions and the future of the country. Despite his group’s close historical ties to radical Islamism, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels, and the new strongman of the country, claims he wants to build a “plural” Syria, where all communities will have their place.
After spending several years in Homs—where Vatican News interviewed him during a report in 2021—Fr. Vincent de Beaucoudrey is now in the capital, where he heads the Syrian branch of JRS, the Jesuit Refugee Service.
He offers his testimony of the first hours of this new Syria being born, full of hope and uncertainty.
Q. Fr. Vincent de Beaucoudrey, we met three years ago in Homs, and the context was completely different. In light of the recent events across Syria, and now that you are in Damascus, what differences do you see between the situation you were in three years ago in Homs and today in Damascus?
There are many significant differences. But, deep down, there are also many similarities, of course. Politically, it’s completely different. The worries are not the same. But the fact remains that the country is in ruins, the economy is in ruins, and many people have left. Today, we are in a great deal of uncertainty. That’s what defines Syria today: uncertainty—the fact that every day you have to change your plans and you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Everything changed in ten days. This uncertainty can generate hope; it can provoke a certain joy because things are changing, and we wanted them to change. But it also creates fear.
Q. Are the Syrians you meet on a daily basis expressing themselves more freely in recent days?
Yes, there are topics on which people are speaking more freely. Now, you can talk about Sednaya (the prison where political prisoners of the regime were held, editor’s note) without any problem. You can talk about military conscription. You can even laugh, though nervously, about the police excesses of the fallen regime. But there are still other things that remain complicated. It’s still difficult to talk about how to be so different and form one people together. It’s still complicated to address religious differences…A bit like before.
Q. Speaking of these religious differences…There are many communities in Syria, including Christians, and many Christians have left. Some may try to return, as many Syrians have done in recent days. But do we have any assurance, or at least some hope, that Christians will be able, for example, to celebrate Christmas in peace in a few days?
Yes, if we’re talking in the short term, I think we can say yes. What the new authorities are saying is that they want to form a Syria with the Christians, and that everyone has their place. In Aleppo, where they’ve been for ten days now, they allowed Christmas decorations in the churches, on the façades, etc. So, in the short term, yes. The anxiety lies in the long term, in the direction the country will take. This anxiety exists because the country is not yet stabilized. But as far as being able to celebrate Christmas, there are signs that suggest yes.
Q. Do you think there are more reasons to hope than to worry today?
I’m not entirely sure. But we are Christians, so the challenge is to bet on hope. If we were to put everything down coldly on paper, it’s still not a done deal. But that’s not the point of hope.
Q. Fr. Vincent, three years ago, when we met in Homs, you told me that when young people came to see you, you had nothing to encourage them to stay. Would you say the same thing today?
I never advised them to leave, but I never told them not to leave either. Who am I to decide for them? And I do the same thing today. I hope that the changes we’ve seen in recent weeks might give them a reason to stay. But it’s still a bit early for them.
Q. Have you met any refugees who have made the journey back and come to Damascus?
The teams I work with, yes. But these are people who haven’t come from far away. They’re arriving from Lebanon or Turkey, where they were living in poor conditions in camps. They were in situations where they couldn’t return for political reasons, but they hadn’t built a life elsewhere.
Q. Today, can we hope that, if international sanctions are lifted, the country can begin to rebuild? Or does this reconstruction have to happen under the weight of the international community’s punishment?
The international community saddens me a bit because it’s saying that the return of refugees is no longer an issue before lifting the sanctions and opening embassies in Syria. If they believe the country is safe, they should reopen their embassies, establish ties, get to know the situation, lift the sanctions, and only then say that refugees can or must return. That’s the first thing. The second is that lifting the sanctions is indeed a necessary step. We also need people to invest—not just through humanitarian aid, but also with commercial investments, investments to revive Syrian industry and trade. From here, it’s shocking to see countries building walls before reopening embassies and removing sanctions.
Q. I would like to return to the high price Christians have paid. Many fell under Islamist domination. Has the sacrifice of Christians been in vain or not?
No. It’s the sacrifice of those who say: “We are here, and we are the salt of the earth,” so it has not been in vain. And it’s not about calculating whether it was better to stay or to leave. It’s a life given. And that, you see, will not be lost.
Q. How do you personally feel, as someone who has returned to Damascus in recent months?
My personal feeling is to try to embrace the fear and anxiety for tomorrow and live with the people through it, sometimes being terrified, including by the Israeli bombings, which, recently, have been very intense. At the same time, I think we have to trust that it is possible that we can do it together and take the new leaders seriously—despite the history and the Islamic approach—who say they want to live in a plural Syria. Let’s take that seriously. Let’s try.
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