Christian realities in Syria after five years of war

The war in Syria has now raged for over five years. The violence has affected Muslims, Christians and other minority communities not to mention the country's neighbours and a sometimes apathetic wider global community.

In this 'Middle East Analysis' podcast,  studio guest Dr Harry Hagopian, Ekklesia associate and regional consultant for the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, is joined by the pastor who leads the Armenian Evangelical Christian Churches in Syria, the Rev Harout Selimian.

Regular listeners will be well aware that Dr Hagopian is also an Armenian so there's an interesting chemistry between the guests!

But the subject is a serious one. We often talk about the realities facing Syria's Christians - but we do so from a comfortable studio. Here we get a valuable and unique insight from one of Syria's Christian leaders.

So will there be a mass exodus like the one predicted for Iraq? Will descendants of the early followers of Christ flee these ancient biblical lands? Listen to the 'Middle East Analysis' podcast to find out.

* Listen here

Harry Hagopian is an international lawyer, ecumenist and EU political consultant. He also acts as a MENA and inter-faith advisor to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. He is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/HarryHagopian).

Formerly Executive Secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee and Executive Director of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is now an international fellow, Sorbonne III University, Paris, and author of The Armenian Church in the Holy Land. Dr Hagopian’s own website is www.epektasis.net - follow him on Twitter here: @harryhagopian and on Facebook here