LATTAKIA, Syria — In the northwestern port town of Latakia, Christian worshippers gathered for Sunday Mass on Dec. 15 at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, expressing hope that Syria's new Sunni Muslim-led government would uphold religious freedom.

This was the first Mass held since rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad a week earlier. Previously, church leaders had urged people to avoid worship services due to the unrest caused by the advance of rebel forces, including the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), into Damascus, ending the Assad family’s five-decade reign.

Athanasios Fahed, the Metropolitan of Latakia and its dependencies for the Greek Orthodox Church, led the service in the brisk morning weather as the cathedral filled with worshippers.

Speaking to Reuters, Fahed acknowledged the uncertainty felt by many Syrians, especially minority groups, in the wake of the regime's collapse. However, he emphasized that Christians are integral to the nation and should not be considered a minority. "Like all Syrians, we were shocked by the sudden change. Naturally, there were fears, particularly due to the chaos that followed the fall of state institutions," he said.

He noted that while Christians in other parts of Syria faced displacement during Assad's rule, Latakia and surrounding coastal areas, strongholds of the regime, remained largely unaffected. Syria’s diverse population includes several ethnic and religious minority communities, such as Christians, Armenians, Kurds, and Shi'ite Muslims. Many of these groups had long feared that Islamist rule might threaten their way of life during the country’s 13-year civil war.

Lina Akhras, a parish council secretary at the cathedral, said that Christians had enjoyed religious freedom under Assad. "The suddenness of these events left us uncertain about the future, so we suspended worship to ensure everyone’s safety," she told Reuters. Akhras expressed cautious optimism, saying that members of the HTS leadership had reached out to their priest to provide assurances. "God willing, we will return to our normal lives in our beloved Syria," she said, adding, "Your religion is yours, but our country belongs to all of us."

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters