Leaders of churches and ecclesial communities in Syria met with representatives of the armed Islamic-led rebel groups that seized control of the country amid fears that Christians could face persecution or strict regulations that could disrupt their faith life.

Monday’s meeting in Aleppo followed the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime’s rule earlier this month after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group linked with Al-Qaeda, seized various cities. The rebels captured Damascus days after the takeover of Aleppo and Hama….

“We were all present: bishops, priests and religious,” Chaldean Jesuit Bishop Antoine Audo of Alep told Fides in a statement. Reflecting on Monday’s summit, Audo described it as a “positive meeting.”

The Islamist forces reportedly assured Christian leaders during the meeting that they would not attempt to change or regulate ecclesiastical communities by, for example, implementing rules against boys and girls studying together at school. According to Audo, the new forces claimed they wanted to “build trust by respecting [their] traditions and [their] prayers.”

“I told them that we, as Arab Christians, represent a unique reality in history and in the world. I recalled some examples of the history of Muslim Arabs with Christians and the contribution of Christians to this history,” Audo said.

“I added that the status of the ‘dhimmi’ (non-Muslim members of a state guided by Islamic law, ed.) can be interpreted both negatively and positively, that Christians cannot be second-class citizens and that we must work together,” the bishop continued. “They seemed very interested in these considerations.”

Despite these assurances, however, watchdog groups have expressed concerns about the potential dangers Christians in the region could now face….