Commenting on Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti’s six-day visit to Syria from January 24 to 29, Vatican News reported that Pope Francis aimed “to convey his closeness to the Catholic community in Syria” (January 24). During the trip, Gugerotti emphasized a key objective: leveraging Lebanon’s vibrant Catholic presence to help rejuvenate Syria’s.

Gugerotti’s visit marked the first time a Vatican envoy has traveled to Syria since the Assad regime’s ouster by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Even before the dust settled, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin noted that the developments offer “a good opportunity to continue building bridges” with the Muslim world (Vatican News, Dec. 10, 2024).

The fact that terrorists lead the new government concerns the Vatican little. On January 11, Parolin told Vatican News:

I have read the positive statements that have been made, which align with the direction hoped for by the pope in his address to the Diplomatic Corps. We hope that a new era can begin for Syria, where all citizens will have the same rights and privileges. … We truly hope that these statements will be followed by actions, ensuring the protection of the rights of minorities and Christians as well.

On his way to Syria, Gugerotti first stopped in Beirut, Lebanon, on January 23 where he was welcomed by top-ranking Italian military authorities and met with Monsignor Santo Marcianò, the Italian Military Ordinary. He also visited Italian soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, who are meant to stabilize the region.

Speaking to Vatican Media, Gugerotti noted that Syria and Lebanon historically had “fluctuating” relations but share an intertwined destiny. He remarked that “the Maronite Church, which originated in the mountains of Syria but later settled here [Lebanon] is also present in Syria, creating a strong connection between the two countries.” He expressed hope that “this calm” in Lebanon “can extend to the other side of the border albeit in a different way and for different reasons.”

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained in the May-June 2014 Trumpet:

Lebanon is the only Middle Eastern country with a strong Christian population. Forty percent of Lebanon’s people belong to a Christian denomination; the largest is the Catholic-affiliated Maronite Church. By constitutional decree, the president of Lebanon must be a Maronite. … This heavily Christian population makes Lebanon different from the rest of the Arab world. … Because of its high population of Christian Arabs, Lebanon has become a linchpin for the Psalm 83 alliance.

Psalm 83 prophesies of an alliance of various Arab nations and Turkey with Catholic Europe led by Germany and the Vatican (read “The Fall and Rise of Lebanon”).

It is estimated that the Syrian Christian population shrunk from 10 percent to less than 2.5 percent during the Syrian civil war. In the eighth century a.d., before many were forced to convert to Islam, 3.8 million Syrian Christians made up the majority of Syria’s 4 million population.

The Catholic Church is now seeking to revive its presence here.

At the Church of Saint Paul’s Shrine in Tabbaleh, Damascus, Gugerotti told those assembled on January 25: “I am honored to be here as Pope Francis’s representative. [He] deeply understands the burdens that you bear within your hearts and has asked me to convey his heartfelt wish that God fills your hearts with genuine and complete peace.”

He described Damascus as “a beautiful, radiant city that was like a queen during the Roman Empire. Although it now bears the marks of age, it remains a queen.”

Referencing Saul’s conversion to Paul on the roads to Damascus, Gugerotti urged: “When you return home tonight, tell your families that God has triumphed and the church remains unshaken.”

At the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2012, Mr. Flurry prophesied that Syria would break away from Iran and ally with Germany and the Vatican. Over the last few months we have seen this decade-old prophecy fulfilled—and more is yet to come, as Mr. Flurry explained in “Syria’s Fall: Another Key Prophecy Fulfilled.”