Representatives of Syria’s Christian communities have called on the European Union to support constitutional guarantees for religious freedom, equal citizenship and political participation for all Syrians at a conference held at the European Parliament on September 8.

The two-hour conference, titled “The Future of Christians in Syria: Religious Freedom, Political Representation, a Common Future,” brought together representatives of Syrian churches and Christian political organizations, Members of the European Parliament and European experts. Participants included representatives of Syriac-Aramaic, Assyrian and Chaldean communities, as well as other Christian denominations, according to the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).

A central conclusion of the meeting was that the future of Syria’s Christians cannot be secured simply by protecting churches or reserving a fixed number of seats for Christians in government institutions. Instead, participants called for a political system that guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of their religion or ethnic background.

Archbishop Georges Masri of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Aleppo stressed the need for a constitution that establishes equality among citizens irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliation.

Father Vasileios Khamis, representing the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, said Christians were not seeking the creation of a “Christian state” or special privileges.

“It is necessary not to protect Christians from Syrians, but to create a state that protects all Syrians,” Khamis said.

Other discussions focused on political representation and constitutional safeguards for Syria’s cultural and linguistic diversity. Participants highlighted the importance of allowing ethnic and national minorities to preserve their native languages and establish their own cultural and educational institutions.

The conference placed the situation of Christians within the broader debate over Syria’s future following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Over the course of the Syrian war, the country’s Christian population declined sharply as a result of violence, displacement and emigration.

For the conference organizers, preserving Syria’s historic Christian communities is therefore closely linked to the broader question of whether the country can develop into a genuinely pluralistic state in the post-Assad era.