“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a despot whose shooting and shelling of his own people cannot be defended,” wrote the Catholic Register in an editorial earlier this year, “yet he may be the last line of defence for Syria’s Catholics.” The editorial captures the paradox of a country where, despite an escalating civilian death toll, regime change could have disastrous consequences for the Christian minorities, as it did in Iraq. Unlike the governments that were overthrown in Egypt and Tunisia, the Syrian leadership still enjoys considerable support at home. Many in the Syrian Christian community — in Syria and among the diaspora in Canada — do not support the revolutionaries, though they decry the violent crackdown against them. The situation is more complex than one might glean from the headlines. Tonight, as Pope Benedict visits neighbouring Lebanon, we are re-broadcasting our Perspectives Weekly episode on Syria. Host Kris Dmytrenko discusses the conflict with Carl Hétu, national director of CNEWA Canada, and Fr. Estephanos Issa, a Syriac Orthodox priest based in Toronto. Join us for this discussion on Perspectives: The Weekly Edition at 7 and 11pm ET / 8pm PT. In the meantime, share your thoughts on our Facebook page.