New Nuncio to Syria hopes Christians can remain as a bridge for dialogue

The new Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona, talks to Vatican News about his hopes and expectations for his new mission and recalls his past experience in Jordan.

Children at play in the desolate suburbs of Damascus (AFP or licensors)

Syrian Christians are awaiting the arrival of the new Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV on March 19 and will arrive in the country on May 21.

The Vatican diplomat succeeds Cardinal Mario Zenari, who served in the role for 17 years. Archbishop Cona will arrive in a country marked by socio-political fragility and fears of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking from El Salvador, where he is currently residing, he spoke to Vatican News about his new role.

Q: Your Excellency, with what spirit are you preparing to undertake this new mission as papal representative in Syria?

First of all, with gratitude to the Holy Father. He has given me the opportunity to return to the Middle East, since I had already been in Amman for three years from 2014 to 2017.

So I return to this region with great joy; I am truly happy. There are so many beautiful elements of Middle Eastern culture!

I will be able to serve more closely the Christian communities present there, so I am happy, serene, and confident that with God’s help we can offer a good service for the good of that Church and those people.

Q: Tell us more about your experience in Jordan. What have you retained most as a gift from your time there with the local community?

For me it was a deeply enriching experience, both as a priest and, above all, as a Christian. I arrived in Jordan at the beginning of the war with the so-called Islamic State.

During the three years I was there, with the help of various humanitarian institutions and some embassies accredited to Jordan—as well as the Italian Bishops’ Conference—we were able to assist about 10,000 displaced Iraqis fleeing from Mosul.

They came to Jordan seeking refuge, unfortunately, while waiting for new destinations. Almost all of those people went to Europe, and to America—between the United States and Canada—and to Australia.

It was a wonderful experience because you could see how these Christians, who had witnessed so many horrors up close, preferred to leave everything rather than abandon their faith in Christ.

I felt it was my duty to assist them, to help them, to try and meet all their needs. This enriched me greatly on a human level, seeing firsthand what it means to leave everything for the love of Christ. It was truly something beautiful.

Q: Christians in Syria constantly feel caught between staying and finding a way to leave. What will their future be?

At the moment, I don’t have much certain information because I have not yet arrived. I hope that conditions can be created that will allow them to stay.

It seems to me that many Muslims—including, I believe, in Syria—as well as some of that country’s leaders, are of the view that the Christian presence in Syria is a richness. A richness that is valuable not only from a cultural or artistic standpoint—given the Christian heritage preserved there—but also as an important presence in and of itself.

The Christian community has always been a “bridge” community, one that has fostered dialogue and has also made many valuable contributions to the building of that country, including from a legal, administrative, and entrepreneurial perspective.

I hope that these skills and qualities can remain and can also serve as a foundation for building a richer country—not only economically, but also culturally and, above all, humanly—while relating to other Syrians, to Syrians of other faiths, on an equal footing.

Q: Syria is a country with a long history of civil war, struggling to find a path toward stabilization. As Apostolic Nuncio, how do you plan to cooperate with the government that has succeeded Bashar al-Assad? There is a population—a mosaic of cultures and faiths—living in constant fear of reprisals and violence from extremists. In your view, how can citizenship and participation in political leadership be rebuilt?

I believe that the Holy Father has already given what we could call a fundamental direction. We have heard him reiterate, especially during recent Angelus addresses, the central importance and urgency of returning to dialogue.

With war, clearly everything is lost—this has been the teaching of the Popes over the past century; with peace, everything is possible. And the foundation of peace is dialogue among differences, in order to find common ground.

Therefore, already starting now, I offer my full and complete willingness to foster spaces for encounter and dialogue, so that we may build together by joining forces—focusing not so much on what divides us but on what unites us.

It is precisely what unites us that forms the basis for building a better future.

Q: I would also like to recall the earthquake that struck Syria, as well as Turkey, three years ago. What is your thought for those who still do not have a home?

Undoubtedly, one of the missions of the Apostolic Nuncio is to collaborate in promoting the well-being of the people in the country to which he is sent by the Holy Father. Therefore, I will try to take action if it is possible to develop construction projects.

I will make myself available as much as possible to help foster more dignified living conditions for people who still suffer from the loss of their homes.

Q: The Syrian army has reported that one of its bases was attacked by missiles launched from Iraq. In recent days Israeli air forces struck Serghaya, on the Anti-Lebanon mountain range between the Damascus region and the Beqaa Valley. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a drone attack on the U.S. base at Harab al-Jir, in the northern countryside of the al-Hasakah province. In this highly volatile context, what scenarios do you foresee for Syria? Do you think that what is still generally considered the only “peaceful” country in the Middle East will remain so?

Yes, I hope that those in power will do everything possible not to respond to these provocations and instead engage in peaceful dialogue, avoiding the logic of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Q: The escalation of the conflict raises fears that diplomacy is failing in its role of mediation. What do you think?

I am convinced that diplomacy is quite active. A great Vatican diplomat, Cardinal Sodano, spoke of a “diplomacy of absence,” meaning a diplomacy that remains active in silence—so active and so quiet that it seems absent.

This does not mean that no work is being done. I am convinced that it is better to work in silence, in the background, rather than through flashy actions, which can sometimes even be counterproductive.

Q: Forty-six years ago, Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass in the small chapel of the Divine Providence Hospital in San Salvador, killed by a far-right death squad. Canonized in 2018, his legacy of defending human rights during the years leading up to the civil war (1980–1992)—which claimed around 75,000 lives—remains. What do we most lack today from a figure like him?

What is most lacking is seeing a pastor who is not aligned with political factions. Unfortunately, St. Óscar was pulled in different directions by opposing political groups, each thinking he was their saint, their champion.

In reality, he did not act for ideology; he defended human rights because it is a pastoral duty, part of the Gospel and of the Church’s Social Doctrine.

In taking forward his peaceful and unarmed struggle, he was simply responding to the call of his pastoral mission.

I like his image because, just as you said, he was killed while celebrating Mass—specifically, he was killed during the Offertory. He was holding the hosts, raising the paten, and clearly saw his assassin in front of him.

I like this image of this priest, this Archbishop, who in the face of the risk of losing his life did not retreat, did not flee, did not hide, but stayed there, facing his destiny. In those hosts he was offering, he entrusted his own life to God’s mercy.

What is sometimes lacking is precisely this courage from pastors who have been formed by the Church’s Social Doctrine and by the pastoral charity that flows from the Gospel, and who can devote themselves to the good of the people and to their salvation, not only physical but also spiritual.

Antonella Palermo
Source: vaticannews.va/en