Pope calls for 'mutual respect' between religions in Syria

Pope Francis called Wednesday for "mutual respect" between religions in Syria, three days after the country's longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

"I pray... that the Syrian people may live in peace and security in their beloved land and the different religions may walk together in friendship and mutual respect for the good of that nation afflicted by so many years of war," said Francis, who leads the world's Catholics.

At this "delicate moment" of Syria's history "I hope that a political solution will be reached that without further conflicts and divisions will responsibly promote the stability and unity of the country", he said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

Syria's new transitional prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir has said it is time for "stability and calm" in the country.

Assad fled Syria as an Islamist-led opposition alliance swept into the capital Damascus over the weekend, bringing to an end five decades of brutal rule by his clan.

Syria's Christian community generally supported the Assad government since the start of the civil war in 2011, with the president, himself from the minority Alawite sect, positioning himself as a protector of minorities.

The community suffered when the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group overran large parts of Syria.

IS targeted Christians, resorting to mass kidnappings and the destruction of churches, before being defeated in 2019.

Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed 500,000 people and forced half the country to flee their homes, millions of them finding refuge abroad.