A Devastating Blow: Mar Elias Church Bombing Underscores Peril Facing Syria’s Christians
Written By EEW Magazine Online News Editors
Syrians gather inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/ Omar Sanadiki)
At a Glance:
A suicide bombing at Mar Elias Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025, killed at least 25 worshipers and injured more than 60, deepening fears for Syria’s Christian minority.
Responsibility for the attack remains disputed, with both Islamic State and a smaller extremist group claiming involvement, and the international community condemning the violence.
Despite rising threats and a shrinking Christian population, faith communities in Syria continue to gather, provide support, and call for protection and religious freedom.
DAMASCUS, Syria (EEW Magazine Online) — A suicide bombing during Sunday worship at Mar Elias Church in Damascus left at least 25 people dead and more than 60 injured, in one of the deadliest attacks on Syria’s Christian minority in recent years.
The June 22 attack shattered a sense of sanctuary at the Greek Orthodox church in the Dweila neighborhood, where roughly 350 worshipers had gathered. Authorities say the attacker entered the building, opened fire, and detonated an explosive vest near the altar. The blast turned a sacred space into a scene of carnage and chaos.
Syrians gather inside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweila, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/ Omar Sanadiki)
Syria’s health ministry confirmed 25 fatalities, though other sources placed the number of wounded as high as 80. Responsibility for the bombing remains contested. While government officials blamed the Islamic State, an obscure extremist group known as Saraya Ansar al-Sunna also claimed credit—adding confusion and fear in the wake of the violence, according to Times of Israel.
The Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land (ACOHL), which unites Catholic bishops from Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus, condemned the attack. “There is no justification—religious, moral, or rational—for the slaughter of innocents, least of all in a sacred space,” the ACOHL statement said. The Assembly argued that claiming faith as the reason to justify this violence “is a grave perversion of all that is holy.”
The Assembly described the bombing as an act of “unspeakable evil—a crime against humanity and a sin before God.”
Two days after the attack, hundreds of mourners filled Holy Cross Church for a funeral service led by Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X, who honored the victims as martyrs. The tragedy drew international condemnation. Pope Leo XIV expressed condolences in a telegram, while French officials denounced the bombing as a “heinous terrorist attack.” The Vatican called for increased protection of religious minorities in the region, Vatican News reported.
For Syria’s Christian community, one of the oldest in the world, the bombing revived longstanding fears about survival in a country torn by more than a decade of war. Since the 2011 uprising, Christians have faced increasing marginalization, persecution, and displacement. The fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 ushered in a new era, but not the peace many had hoped for.
Syrian security forces stand guard outside Mar Elias church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil’a in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
The current Syrian Transitional Government, dominated by Islamist factions including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), pledged to protect religious minorities. But rights groups and Christian leaders report growing threats. Syria’s Christian population, once nearly 2 million, has shrunk to fewer than 500,000, driven out by war, extremism, and fear.
Recent months have brought renewed violence. In March, more than 1,000 civilians, including Christians and Alawites, were killed in a wave of coordinated attacks. Kurdish Christians in Aleppo canceled worship services after threats from Turkish-backed militias, citing escalating insecurity, Christianity Post reported.
While Christians are not always directly targeted, they often become collateral victims in clashes between rival militias. Increasingly, however, experts warn of rising targeted persecution. A European Parliament report noted the vulnerability of religious minorities amid the power vacuum created by the regime’s collapse.
The transitional government’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has come under fire for what critics say is a failure to safeguard minority communities. At the funeral service, Patriarch John X openly questioned the state’s security efforts, echoing a broader sense of frustration among Syria’s embattled Christians, according to Reuters.
According to Open Doors’ World Watch List 2025, Syria ranks 18th among the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution globally. Thus, the Mar Elias bombing is not an isolated incident.
Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria, warned that such violence kills the hope of Christians from the region. “Hope is dead” after years of civil war.
Multiple armed groups, including remnants of ISIS, HTS, and Turkish-backed militias, remain active. Their presence poses a constant threat to the stability of post-Assad Syria and to any future reconciliation efforts.
“These terrible acts of cowardice have no place in the new Syria that so many are hoping to build,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack in a post on X. “We continue to support the Syrian government as it fights against those who are seeking to create instability and fear in their country and the broader region.”
Even in the midst of pain, resilience shows through. Interior Minister Anas Khattab condemned the attack on social media and promised that “terrorist acts will not deter the Syrian state’s efforts to achieve civil peace.”
Despite the unrest, churches continue to serve as anchors, providing aid, education, and spiritual refuge. Their presence is a lifeline for Christian communities and others who still believe Syria can become a place for everyone.
Those who want to help can start by praying for peace, protection, and wisdom for Syria’s leaders. EEW Magazine also encourages readers to support groups like Open Doors and International Christian Concern, which are helping on the ground. Stay informed through careful, fact-based reporting, and use your voice to speak up for religious freedom and human dignity.
More on EEW Magazine Online:
