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Fr. Peter Fuchs in Armenian-Catholic school in Aleppo, Syria Fr. Peter Fuchs

(LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic priest from Germany who recently visited Syria told LifeSiteNews that the Western sanctions against the war-torn country are killing people but said the recent episcopal consecration of a priest who was imprisoned by ISIS is a sign of hope.

Fr. Peter Fuchs, executive director of the human rights organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI) in Germany that advocates for “religious freedom and human dignity,” told LifeSiteNews about the situations facing Christians and Catholics in Syria, the consequences of the Western sanctions, the recent devastating earthquake that shook the country, the bishops’ consecration of a priest who was imprisoned by ISIS, and whether or not war still rages in Syria.

The complete interview with LifeSiteNews is below:

Fr. Fuchs, you were recently in Syria as part of your work as Executive Director of CSI-Germany. What exactly did you do there and what were your most formative impressions?

Generally, I visit Syria a few times a year to see the situation on the ground with my own eyes and to talk to the people about their situation. I meet project partners of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and personal friends in Syria, and am amazed each time again by the beauty of the country, its wealth of ancient monuments, and its living Christian heritage, and always return to Germany delighted and blessed by the kindness and friendliness of the Syrians.

Now the episcopal consecration of Father Jacques Mourad in Homs was probably a particularly formative impression. By the way, a Syrian proverb says that everyone has two homes. His own and Syria. That is certainly the case for me.

What was your impression of the damage after the February 6, 2023 earthquake?

As part of my trip, I spent two days in Aleppo and was initially very pleased that the destruction caused by the earthquake did not seem so severe in the center of the city. But appearances are deceptive. The houses that survived the earthquake well on the outside are often badly damaged on the inside. Stairwells and apartment ceilings have collapsed, load-bearing walls are unstable. In Aleppo, 60 buildings collapsed; thousands of apartments have become uninhabitable. I still saw many homeless people holding out in Aleppo’s large sports stadium and in tents.

Our project partners in Aleppo told me that aid from friendly countries is reaching the earthquake victims. The various Christian churches are also sending engineers to the homes of their faithful to check for stability. A fund set up by the churches to allocate money for repair work has begun its work.

In Latakia and Jable, the effects of the earthquake disaster are particularly dramatic. In Jable, 15 doctors died when several buildings collapsed in the same residential area. However, Syrians are standing by each other in this disaster. Families are taking in strangers and providing for them. People share what little they have left with each other.

Ruins after the earthquake in Aleppo, Syria

How do you think the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union are affecting the government and the people of Syria?

The EU and the U.S. have imposed an embargo on Syria since the beginning of the Syrian war and have continued to tighten it. These sanctions are directed against a country suffering from war, poverty, cholera, and now the earthquake. Our project partner, Dr. Nabil Antaki, a physician, Catholic, and founder of the Blue Marists relief organization, wrote in his Letter from Aleppo No. 46 on March 15 that “the sanctions kill.”

People died in the earthquake because they could not renovate their war-damaged homes because aid to rebuild is banned by the sanctions. People died under rubble because heavy machinery was not available and could not enter Syria due to sanctions.

The narrative of supposedly fine-tuned sanctions that only hit the political and economic ruling elite but spared the population has long been disproven. In a November 10, 2022 report, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Negative Effects of Unilateral Coercive Measures placed sanctions against Syria close to a crime against humanity.

Sanctions have led to the impoverishment of Syria’s broad civilian population. Much-touted “humanitarian exceptions” are mostly unworkable. Due to the sanctions-induced interruption of international payments with Syria, Syrians living in Europe or the U.S. cannot transfer money to their relatives in Aleppo, Hama, or Latakia who have been rendered homeless by the earthquake. No Syrian hospital can buy medical equipment, spare parts, medicines, or generators abroad unless it can pay by wire transfer. Although there has been a dramatic shortage of fuel and electricity for years, urgently needed spare parts for the ailing refineries and power plants are subject to an EU export ban.

How would you assess the situation of Christians, and especially Catholics, in the war-torn, Muslim-majority country?

The Syrian state is a secular state and makes no distinction between Christians and Muslims. Christians continue to hold high offices in government and politics today. However, the future of Syrian Christianity is uncertain. Since the war began in 2011, approximately 1.5 million Christians have left Syria. Some estimate that fewer than 700,000 Christians live in Syria today. No one has exact numbers. During my visit to Syria in March, I met young Christians who immediately told me they wanted to leave Syria as soon as possible to build a livelihood and raise a family in Germany or Australia. People are tired of having to bear the burden of Syria’s difficult daily life in poverty, without electricity, and with no prospect of an end to Western sanctions. And yet, Christians are so important to Syrian society. They bear witness to the love and goodness of God, not least through their many charitable efforts.

And yet there are also rays of hope. On March 3, the Syriac Catholic Cathedral at Homs was the site of a historic event for Catholics and all Christians in Syria. 750 faithful and countless priests, bishops, and patriarchs attended the episcopal consecration of Aleppo-born Father Jacques Mourad, who was a prisoner of IS [Islamic State] for five months in 2015. I believe that the episcopal consecration of Father Jacques is a sign that Christianity in Syria has roots that do not die and continue to bear good fruit for all people throughout Syria.

Bishop Jacques Mourad during his episcopal consecration in Homs, Syria

Since the “Arab Spring” in 2011, there has been a civil war in Syria. It is difficult to get reliable information about the current state of the war. How do you assess this after your visit on the ground? Is there still an active war in Syria at all at the moment?

The security situation in many regions of Syria is very stable. In most areas, the weapons have been silent for years. The situation is particularly problematic in Idlib province, which continues to be controlled by jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the successor organization to the Nusra Front. Turkish forces – a NATO member — also regularly bomb areas in northern Syria, and its southern neighbor repeatedly attacks targets in Syria.

The people of Syria are worn out and tired of war and poverty. But Syrians are also self-confident and full of dignity — even in times of great challenge. They want nothing more than to finally live in normality and peace.

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