In Syria’s northwestern port town of Latakia, Christian worshippers attending Mass on Sunday at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral were hopeful that the country’s new largely Sunni Muslim leadership would respect their religion. Last Sunday, Church authorities warned people to stay away from worship amid the upheaval as rebels – led by Islamist former al Qeada offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – swept into Damascus and ended 50 years of brutal rule by the Assad family. Athanasios Fahed, the Metropolitan of Latakia and its dependencies for the Greek Orthodox Church, led Sunday’s service in Latakia and the cathedral filled with people in brisk morning weather.
