Syria: ACN mourns archbishop who never abandoned his flock
Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart believed that had it not been for the care of God the Christians of Syria would have been wiped out during the civil war.
It was with sadness that Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) learned of the death of its long-time project partner Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart, aged 83, on Saturday May 9.
He was the Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Syria, from 1995 to 2021.
ACN had a long-standing relationship with the archbishop, who died suddenly during a trip to France. The foundation’s executive president, Regina Lynch, attended the Mass in Notre Dame where he concelebrated that very day during a gathering marking the anniversary of the French Catholic charity Œuvre d’Orient.
“Learning of the death of a project partner is always a shock, especially one we had accompanied for such a long time and during so much suffering during the time of war. But as a Christian and knowing of the archbishop’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ, my sadness is accompanied by the certainty that he is rejoicing in the rewards of his tireless advocacy for the community the Lord entrusted to him,” Lynch commented.
Jean-Clément Jeanbart was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1943, the sixth of 12 children of a devout Melkite Catholic family. He first entered the seminary as a boy of only 11, but left to continue his studies in Aleppo before returning at 19. He was ordained in 1968.
From early on he felt a special calling to work with youth, which he would maintain until his final years.
As head of the Melkite Archeparchy of Aleppo, Archbishop Jeanbart actively worked to improve the spiritual and material life of his flock, believing this was key to helping Christians remain in their homeland. He also invested heavily in ecumenical relations, having partnered with the Greek Orthodox Church in Syria to build the Church of Unity, shared by Melkites and Orthodox.
Archbishop Jeanbart never ceased speaking publicly about the suffering of Syria’s Christians. During the country’s civil war, he became one of the strongest advocates for the survival of Christianity in Syria, repeatedly warning against the disappearance of ancient Christian communities from the Middle East.
When the war in Syria began, he refused to leave Aleppo, despite the constant danger. When a church building was struck by a missile in 2016, he wrote to ACN, expressing his gratitude for the fact that none of the youth or priests had been hurt. “The next day, when a great crowd had gathered for Sunday Mass, I was at a loss for words, but I called on the faithful to join me in a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, who, once again, had seen fit to protect us,” he wrote. “It was a good occasion to remind Christians that they are not alone and that our Good Shepherd is always there, very close to us, and that He never leaves us orphaned or without help.”
“In reviewing the course of events of the past five years of this pitiless war, we cannot fail to see His salutary actions among us,” the archbishop concluded. “This terrible and infernal war would have utterly destroyed us or driven us to despair and madness, had it not been for His tender care. Without his providential protection, the ceaseless bombardments we are suffering would have annihilated us a long time ago.”
This week, ACN’s Regina Lynch lamented: “Unfortunately, Archbishop Jeanbart did not live to see peace and stability fully return to his country. We can only hope that now he will be able to intercede for Christ’s peace to bless Syria and the wider region of the Middle East.”
–ACN Press
