
Christians light candles before the Christmas mass in the Greek Orthodox convent Saint Takla, in Maaloula, some 60 km northern Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Christians attend the Christmas mass in the Greek Orthodox convent Saint Takla, in Maaloula, some 60 km northern Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Christians attend Christmas Mass in the Greek Orthodox convent Saint Takla, in Maaloula, Syria, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Salina Shambos, Cyprus' newly appointed special envoy for Christian communities and minorities in the Middle East talks during an Associated Press interview at her office in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Salina Shambos, Cyprus' newly appointed special envoy for Christian communities and minorities in the Middle East talks during an Associated Press interview at her office in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Syrians hold a copy of the Quran next to a Christian cross during a demonstration in support of unity among minorities and the ousting of the Bashar Assad government in Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)