Father Nassar, a Syrian priest, has said the Church’s conduct is ‘shameful’, and it is not doing nearly enough in the fight to end the bloodshed. His comments come on the seventh anniversary, 15 March, of the popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that sparked the country's vicious civil war. Half a million Syrians have been killed and 6.1 million internally displaced. Of Syria's estimated 10 million children, 8.6 million are in dire need of assistance, and nearly 6 million are displaced or living as refugees. The USA started arming and providing military assistance in 2014 for anti-Assad rebel groups who were waging war against IS. They have also begun working with Syrian Kurds. Meanwhile, Syrian ally Russia has helped Assad's regime, and Iran has provided troops and money. Fr Nassar criticised the numerous international forces which were taking part in the war, and added that the Church needed to do more to try and end the violence.