Melkite priest Tony Boutros: Christians of Suwayda are messengers of peace

SUWAYDA, Syria – In recent weeks, conflicting reports have circulated about the fate of Christians in Suwayda, southern Syria, amid violence and clashes between Druze factions and groups affiliated with the Syrian General Security forces. The fighting has left hundreds dead and displaced hundreds more, alongside widespread abuses, including torture, humiliation, rape, kidnapping, and other violations. 

In a recorded message, Father Tony Boutros, parish priest of the Melkite Greek (Rûm) Catholic Church in Shahba, sought to set the record straight—dispelling misinformation and addressing what he described as false narratives about the situation in Suwayda as a whole, and the realities facing the Christian community in particular. 

Father Boutros said he serves several churches in Suwayda, some of which were burned and vandalized during the unrest. “Christians have been part of Suwayda for centuries, and today our community numbers around 30,000,” he said. “For generations, we have lived alongside the Druze in harmony, with mutual respect and peace, founded on shared citizenship and respect for religious diversity.” 

He explained that all the Christian villages were forcibly emptied by extremist militants, who looted and burned homes and churches. Residents of these villages, both Christians and Druze, became displaced, taking shelter in schools, playgrounds, temporary housing centers, as well as in churches, abandoned homes, public gardens, and even on the streets. He described the dire humanitarian situation, stressing that returning to their homes is no longer possible, as many were reduced to ashes or stripped of their belongings. 

Father Boutros appealed to the international community to intervene, end the injustice, lift the suffocating siege on Suwayda, and secure safe passage for the delivery of food, medical aid, water, and electricity. 

“The exact number of destroyed homes is still unknown, but we know that five churches have been burned,” he said, condemning the atrocities in Suwayda as “inhuman acts” that no person of conscience could accept. “How can anyone accept seeing a person attacked, beaten, displaced, killed, robbed, and their home set on fire?” he asked. 

In closing, Father Boutros stressed that Christians in Suwayda, and in Syria as a whole, are advocates of peace and love, values taught by Jesus Christ, and seek to live in peace alongside all components of the Syrian people.