Orthodox Faithful Face Dual Realities: Persecution in Syria Amid Signs of Renewal in the West

 By Mor Abdiel Theophorus Tikhon

February 17, 2026

In the ancient See of Antioch, the cradle of Christianity where believers were first called “Christians,” the Cross weighs heavily once more. According to the newly released Open Doors World Watch List 2026 (January 14), Syria has surged to No. 6 among the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution a dramatic leap from No. 18 the previous year and the most significant single-year shift in recent history.

This escalation is due to the collapse of the Assad administration in December 2024 and the instability that followed, which was caused by influence from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Due mostly to the sharp rise in violence, Syria currently has a near-maximum persecution score of 90, according to data reported by Open Doors. There are more than 388 million Christians worldwide that currently are subjected to high or extreme levels of persecution and discrimination, with Syria's rise attributed to all the verified attacks, church desecrations, and widespread fear.

One of the most devastating reminders of human suffering is the June 22, 2025, was the suicide assault at the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church (St. Elias) in Damascus during Divine Liturgy. It was one of the bloodiest attacks against the Christian community in Damascus in decades, with at least 22–25 people killed and over 60 injured. According to reports, there has been continuous intimidation, including threatening graffiti around Aleppo churches informing "cross worshippers" of their coming death, as well as constant relocation due to conflicts and pressure from extremists.

While the faithful face everyday concern, authorities are being urged to safeguard all residents by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, who has consistently denounced the violence as an attack on Christian identity and harmony. Thousands have fled, echoing the broader exodus that has reduced Syria’s Christian population by roughly 80% since 2011.

Yet, even as the mother Church in the East bleeds, the Orthodox witness in the West shows unmistakable signs of the Holy Spirit’s vitality particularly within the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and its Western Rite Vicariate.

On February 16, 2026, His Eminence Metropolitan Saba ordained seminarian Dn. Ibrahim Aldaiob to the Holy Diaconate at Virgin Mary Church in Yonkers, New York a living testament to rising vocations and priestly formation in the Antiochian tradition, which oversees the Western Rite communities preserving ancient Western liturgies (such as the Gregorian and Sarum rites) in full communion with the East.

Metropolitan Saba’s recent archpastoral activities, including visits and ordinations in Texas (e.g., February 1–2 services featuring additional ordinations), underscore a focus on unity, sacred priesthood, and authentic liturgical life. The Archdiocese continues initiatives like youth camps funded by the Order of St. Ignatius, serving thousands, while broader Orthodox jurisdictions such as the Orthodox Church in America mark the start of Great Lent with calls to repentance, fasting, and public witness on life issues.

The Western Rite, far from a novelty, revives the Apostolic Faith’s historic expression in Western soil, countering both despair and compromise. In the Western Rite communities today, faithful Orthodox Christians celebrate venerable liturgies including the Divine Liturgy of Saint Gregory (a restored form of the ancient Roman rite associated with St. Gregory the Great), the Divine Liturgy of Saint Tikhon (an Orthodox adaptation drawing from historic Western sources like the Anglican patrimony, blessed for use), and elements reflecting the ancient Gallican tradition each faithfully aligned with Orthodox doctrine through the removal of post-schism additions and the inclusion of essential elements like the epiclesis.

Yet in the spirit of humble discernment and fraternal charity that has always marked Orthodox life, we note with gratitude that both the Antiochian Archdiocese and the Orthodox Church in America continue to be shaped by the rich traditions of their Eastern Rite majority. While we rejoice in this canonical shelter and the bonds of love that unite us, many within the Western Rite quietly and prayerfully long for a gentle unfolding: that the ancient Western Orthodox patrimony rooted in the saints and liturgies of the pre-schism West might be granted fuller freedom to flourish and exert a balanced influence within our shared jurisdictions.

This longing extends to embracing more fully the historical and cultural realities of the Western Church before the schism, where married bishops were part of the apostolic norm. Holy Scripture itself, in 1 Timothy 3:2–5, instructs that a bishop should be “the husband of one wife,” managing his household well as a model for the Church words that reflect the early Church’s practice, as seen in figures like St. Gregory of Nyssa and others among the Fathers. This tradition of married bishops continued in various Western Christian expressions, such as in Anglican jurisdictions, the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC), and other historic liturgical bodies that have preserved elements of pre-schism Western Christianity.

Such a return to allowing married priests to be elevated to the episcopacy always as a disciplined, prayerful option rather than a mandate would not contradict Scripture or the Fathers but rather honor the apostolic witness. Until the Western Rite is permitted to develop more organically in accord with its historical and cultural roots, including this aspect of episcopal life, true union and fuller integration may remain hindered. Many potential converts from Western Christian backgrounds, who deeply value the Orthodox Faith yet see these elements as part of their authentic heritage, may feel deterred from embracing Orthodoxy fully.

Such growth would not divide but rather enrich the one Body of Christ, restoring something of the harmonious diversity that blessed East and West in the undivided Church of the first millennium. As the Apostle teaches, “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:4). In this holy Lenten season of repentance, we entrust this longing to the Lord with hope, patience, and unwavering love for our Eastern brothers and sisters.

These developments are no coincidence. They represent answers to fervent prayers for the persecuted East: while Antioch suffers, daughter communities in America grow stronger, equipped for mission in a secular age.

In this Lenten season, the message from an Orthodox theologian and apologist is clear and urgent: The same Lord who sustains the martyrs in Syria is raising up new servants here. Pray ceaselessly for the Patriarchate of Antioch, its displaced families, and the ancient communities under threat. Offer material aid through trusted channels. Stand firm in repentance and fasting.

Brethren, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church whether under the shadow of persecution in Damascus or the light of renewal in the West. The Cross is heavy, but the Resurrection dawns. Let us bear witness accordingly.