Pope Leon's message, after the Syria carnage resulted in 25 deaths. The Vatican is afraid of a new exodus of the Middle East Christians
Suicidal attack in a church in Damascus. Photo credit: Louai Beshara / AFP / Profimedia
Pope Leon XIV declared on Tuesday “deeply saddened” by the attack on an Orthodox church in Damascus who resulted in 25 dead and re-issued concern among the Christian minority in Syria, AFP reports.
The Sovereign Pontiff “was deeply saddened to find out about the losses of human lives and the destruction caused by the attack on the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah in Damascus”, according to a telegram signed by the number 2, the Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“He expressed his sincere solidarity with everyone affected by this tragedy,” the message shows.
The attack, spent on Sunday, June 22, and a soldier with 25 dead and over 60 injured, was claimed on Tuesday by a lesser-known raised group, Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna, while the Syrian authorities attributed to the Jihadist group the Islamic State.
The Christian minority in Syria, which exceeded 1 million people before the war, in 2011, has currently reached less than 300,000 people, according to experts, due to exile and forced relocation.
The Vatican said he was afraid of a new exodus of Christians in the Middle East after this attack.
It is the first such attack in the Syrian capital since the forces led by Islamists have overturned former President Bashar al-Assad, in December last year, the Security being still one of the biggest challenges for the new authorities.
For immediate relay | Islamists Bomb Greek Orthodox Church in #Damascus, #Syria
Statement in the comments@Greecemfa | @Statedept | @Cyprusmfa | @Thsshambos pic.twitter.com/9imoxuubia
-The Greco-Syrian Nation (@Greconation) June 22, 2025
