From eye doctor to dictator – the rise and fall of Assad’s presidency

Published

5 months ago

December 8, 2024

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Bashar al Assad’s downfall marks an end to more than half a century of family rule, as rebel forces turned the tide in a civil war he had embraced.

The authoritarian president ruled Syria for 24 years, five years short of his father’s time in power, but the plan was never for him to take over the dynasty.

Before his political career began to take shape, Assad was based in the UK, where he had an ophthalmology practice.

Damascus ‘freed’ of Assad – live updates

A family tragedy would soon thrust him into the political fray – and his early days in Damascus stood in stark contrast to his exit.

Eye doctor and computer geek

Before Damascus, Assad was an eye doctor in London and his only official position in his home country was as head of the Syrian Computer Society.

In the UK capital, he met his future wife, Asma Akhras, a former investment banker at JPMorgan who grew up in Acton, west London.

She ditched her career for Assad after a trip together to Libya as a guest of then leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In 1994, Assad’s older brother – and heir to the presidency – Bassel was killed in a car crash in Damascus.

Assad was promptly ordered back home, where he was put through military training and elevated his rank to colonel to establish his credentials for ruling.

But there was never any doubt he would take over. When his father Hafez al Assad died in 2000, parliament quickly lowered the presidential age from 40 to 34.

To top it off, his elevation was confirmed after a nationwide referendum pitted him as the only candidate.

Hopes for a young reformer

Assad began his presidency with promises to fight corruption and to open up the media. He inherited a dilapidated country and lacked support from his father’s loyalists.

Viewed as something of a geek, the lanky Assad constantly tried to prove himself despite his gentle demeanour, not least to his fearsome mother, whom the president’s wife also struggled to impress.

He had quickly freed political prisoners and allowed more open discourse. In the “Damascus Spring” – briefly sprung after his father’s death – salons for intellectuals emerged to discuss art, culture and politics.

But these were snuffed out after 1,000 intellectuals signed a public petition calling for multiparty democracy and greater freedoms in 2001.

He slowly lifted economic restrictions, let in foreign banks, made way for imports and empowered the private sector.

Syrian cities began to see shopping malls, new restaurants and consumer goods, while tourism rose.

Foreign policy blow

But abroad, he stuck to the line his father had set, based on an alliance with Iran and a policy of insisting on a full return of the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.

In 2004 the UN Security Council ordered Syria to end its long occupation of neighbouring Lebanon, leaving Assad with a choice: comply and ruin some of his father’s legacy, or ignore it.

He chose the former – this angered his family.

Gradually, Assad started to believe the West was weak and believed the more he demonstrated strength, the more he would achieve.

In 2005, former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated, killed by a bomb while driving in Beirut. The Syrian government was blamed.

Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and a pro-American government came to power instead.

Syrian civil war

A few years after going against his father’s legacy, Assad would draw on his brutal tactics when protests erupted against his rule in March 2011, during the Arab Spring.

He had until that point denied the wave of Arab uprising would spread to Syria, and even emailed a joke mocking the Egyptian leader’s refusal to step down two days after his fall.

But reality soon bit, after protesters in the southern city of Daraa were shot dead by government forces, sparking nationwide unrest.

Full-blown civil war would break out, which would become the world’s largest refugee crisis, according to the UN.

More than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety, the body reports.

Atrocities

Since then, Assad’s rule has been dogged by widespread accusations of atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons such as sarin, chlorine, and mustard gas.

In 2013, a gas attack on rebel-held eastern Ghouta near Damascus killed scores of civilians.

There have also been widespread reports of rape, beheadings and torture.

Assad was propped up largely thanks to Russia – who stepped in to carry out decisive airstrikes in 2015 – and Iran, who both backed Syria militarily.

In 2020, Moscow backed a government offensive, which ended with a ceasefire with Turkey and froze most front lines.

Assad held most territory and all main cities, appearing deeply entrenched, while rebels held the northwest and a Turkey-backed force stayed at a border strip.

Kurdish-led forces, meanwhile, controlled the northeast.

After government forces bombarded the northwest rebel-held region of Idlib in 2020 – killing civilians in the process – Assad had appeared to consolidate his iron-fist rule.

The downfall

Few saw an end to his presidency in the near future, but just as Assad’s fortunes relied on Moscow and Tehran, so too was his fate tied to their geopolitical priorities.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lasting almost three years and Iran rocked by Israeli attacks on its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syrian government defences were exposed.

Rebel forces launched an attack on the northern city of Aleppo, which the government had held since 2016, and within days stormed through the country.

Assad had initially vowed to fight back, with the military claiming they were preparing a counter-offensive.

But the insurgents continued to sweep their way to Damascus, where Assad had insisted he remained as recently as Saturday evening.

He has not been seen in the capital since rebels claimed full control and Russia has said he has left the country – adding he gave “instructions to transfer power peacefully”.

While Syrians took to the streets to chant for freedom and celebrated his downfall, what comes next for the country – and who governs it – remains shrouded in uncertainty.

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Pope Leo to lead first holy mass in Sistine Chapel after paying surprise visit

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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Pope Leo to lead first holy mass in Sistine Chapel after paying surprise visit

Pope Leo will lead his first holy mass as pontiff this morning – after already paying a surprise visit to see staff at his former residence.

Robert Prevost’s life changed forever on Thursday when he went from being one of 252 cardinals to the first-ever American pope.

His was chosen after just four rounds of voting in the Sistine Chapel – a conclave that lasted just 25 hours.

New pope unveiled to the world – as it happened

The 69-year-old Chicago-born cardinal was not seen as a frontrunner but quickly secured the required two-thirds majority.

There was jubilation in St Peter’s Square when white smoke emerged and about an hour later the Pope’s identity was revealed when he stepped onto the balcony.

The choice of Leo is the first time the name has been used since Leo XII – the pope from 1878 to 1903.

Sky News understands one of the first things the Pope did was greet staff at his former residence, Sant’Uffizio Palace, just outside the Vatican.

All eyes will now be on his first mass, when he and other cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel around 10am.

Pope Leo’s first words as leader of 1.4 billion Catholics on Thursday evening were “may peace be with all of you”.

His balcony speech also paid tribute to his predecessor – who only made him cardinal two years ago and brought him from Peru for a senior Vatican role.

“The pope that blessed Rome gave his blessing to the whole world on that Easter morning. So let us follow up that blessing,” said Leo.

He also called for a “church that builds bridges” and is “able to receive everybody that needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love”.

There has long been a taboo against a US pope – given the influence the country already has – but Leo was promoted as a “compromise candidate” ahead of conclave.

His many years as a missionary in Peru are also believed to have given him more universal appeal, especially among the cardinals from Central and South America.

President Donald Trump told reporters having an American in the role for the first time was a “great honour” – and Time magazine has already revealed its cover celebrating the moment.

However, the Pope appears to have taken issue with some of the Trump administration’s views and policies.

His X account posted a link in February to an article criticising comments by the vice president entitled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others”.

In April, when President Trump met El Salvador’s leader about using a notorious prison for suspected US gang members, he shared another post stating: “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”

‘Pope played Wordle before conclave’

With many now waiting on the Pope’s next public comments, his brothers have revealed their surprise when they saw him emerge in the white robes on TV.

Eldest brother Louis Prevost told Sky’s US partner NBC News it was “mindblowing”.

“When the cardinal came out and started to read his name, as soon as he went “raw” I knew he was gonna say ‘Roberto’ – and he did – and I just freaked out.”

Mr Prevost added: “We’ve kind of known he was special, and we used to tease him about being pope when he was six years old and stuff.”

The Pope’s other brother said he had been in contact with him before conclave and joked about watching the hit film of the same name.

“I said did you watch the movie Conclave so you know how to behave,” John Prevost told NBC News.

“And he had just finished watching the movie so knew how to behave; so it’s that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it – because this is now an awesome responsibility.”

He also revealed the brothers had played online puzzles Wordle and Words with Friends to take the Pope’s mind off things in the run-up to the election.

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Who is Pope Leo XIV? American Robert Prevost announced as leader of Catholic Church

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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Who is Pope Leo XIV? American Robert Prevost announced as leader of Catholic Church

The Vatican has announced the first ever US leader of the Catholic Church – Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

The 69-year-old cardinal was born in Chicago and spent many years as a missionary in Peru.

Follow live updates: New pope elected

He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and appointed head of the dicastery for bishops, a powerful position responsible for selecting new bishops.

Significantly, he presided over one of Francis’s most revolutionary reforms when he added three women to the voting bloc which decides on the bishop nominations sent to the Pope.

As cardinal, he said little on key issues of the church, but some of his positions are known.

He is reportedly very close to Francis’s vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants. He said in 2024 “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom”.

He also supported Pope Francis’s stance on allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion.

However, he only showed mild support for Francis allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.

Pope Leo has years of experience in leadership roles within the church.

He was twice elected to the top position of the Augustinian religious order and Francis clearly had an eye on his progress – moving him from the Augustinian leadership back to Peru in 2014, where he served as administrator and later archbishop of Chiclayo.

He acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and remained in Chiclayo until 2023, when Francis brought him to Rome.

While there has long been a taboo against a US pope – given the geopolitical power the US already wields – Leo was being promoted as a “compromise candidate” ahead of the conclave.

The amount of time he has spent in Peru also allowed him to be seen as a more universal candidate.

The world learned a new pope had been chosen at around 6.08pm local time (5.08pm UK time) on Thursday as white smoke suddenly emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Read more:
First US pope chosen

The 133 cardinals sequestered in the chapel picked the new leader of the Catholic Church on the second day of the conclave.

As the smoke appeared, cheers went up in St Peter’s Square, where thousands of people had gathered in the hope of witnessing history.

Just over an hour later, the Pope was introduced on the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as a crowd of an estimated 50,000 people looked on.

Pope Leo’s first address

Delivering an address from the balcony, Pope Leo – speaking in Italian – told the crowds: “Peace be with you all.”

He then thanked his predecessor and repeated Francis’s call for a church that is engaged with the modern world and “always looking for peace, charity and being close to people, especially those who are suffering”.

“Together we must try to find out how to be a church that builds bridges, establishes dialogue and is open to receiving everybody,” he said.

Speaking in Spanish, he added: “I would particularly like to say hello to my compatriots from Peru.

“It was a great pleasure for me to work in Peru.”

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The demands and challenges facing the new pope

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2025

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The demands and challenges facing the new pope

There is a long list of demands in the new pope’s in-tray, ranging from the position of women in the church to the ongoing fight against sexual abuse and restoring papal finances.

People both inside the Catholic Church and around the world will be watching how the new pontiff deals with them.

US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope on Thursday after just two days of conclave.

The 69-year-old, who becomes the first American pope, will take the name Leo XIV.

On Friday, Pope Leo will lead his first holy mass as pontiff after already paying a surprise visit to see staff at his former residence.

Here, Sky News Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing the new pontiff.

Sexual abuse

Many Catholic insiders credit Pope Francis with going further than any of his predecessors to address sexual abuse.

He gathered bishops together for a conference on the issue in 2019 and that led to a change that allows cooperating with civil courts if needed during abuse cases.

But it didn’t go as far as forcing the disclosure of all information gathered in relation to child abuse.

Any abuse allegations must now be referred to church leaders, but reformers stopped short of decreeing that such cases should also be automatically referred to the police.

While many abuse victims agree they saw progress under Pope Francis, who spent a lot of time listening to their accounts, they say reforms didn’t go far enough.

The next pope will be under pressure to take strong action on the issue.

Women

Pope Francis also did more to promote women in the Vatican than any other pontiff.

Two years ago, he allowed women to vote in a significant meeting of bishops.

While he was clear he wanted women to have more opportunities, he resisted the idea that they needed to be part of the church hierarchy and didn’t change the rules on women being ordained.

His successor will need to decide if they push this agenda forward or rein it back in.

It’s a pressing concern as women do a huge amount of the work in schools and hospitals, but many are frustrated about being treated as second-class citizens. 10,000 nuns a year have left in the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to Vatican figures.

Inclusion

“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis famously said when asked about a gay monsignor in 2013.

His supporters say he sought to make the church more open, including allowing blessings for same sex couples but while critics argue he didn’t go far enough, some conservatives were outraged.

African bishops collectively rejected blessings for same sex couples, saying “it would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities”.

How welcome LGBTQ+ people feel in the church will depend partly on decisions made by the pontiff.

Conversely, the Pope must also bring together disparate groups within the Catholic faith.

Many are demanding a leader who can unite the various factions and bring stability in an increasingly unstable world.

The global south

While the Catholic church is losing members in its traditional base of Europe, it’s growing rapidly in the global south.

The area has become the new centre of gravity for Catholicism with huge followings in countries like Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.

Pope Francis tried to expand representation by appointing more cardinals from different areas of the world, and the new Pope will be expected to continue this.