Pope Leo denounces terrorist attack in Syria on Greek Orthodox church
Charles Collins/Crux• June 25, 2025
Pope Leo XIV has described a terrorist attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus as “vile” during his Wednesday general audience at the Vatican.
Authorities say at least 25 people were killed on Sunday, 22 June, after a suicide bombing at Prophet Elias Church. Dozens of people were also injured. Syrian authorities say ISIS is believed responsible for the attack.
“We entrust the victims to the mercy of God and raise our prayers for the injured and their families,” Pope Leo said in St. Peter’s Square.
“To the Christians of the Middle East, I say: I am close to you. The whole Church is close to you. This tragic event recalls the profound fragility that still marks Syria, after years of conflict and instability.
“It is therefore essential that the international community does not turn its gaze away from this country, but continues to offer it support through gestures of solidarity and with a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation.”
Leo also said he is continuing to follow “with attention and hope” recent developments involving Iran, Israel and the US in relation to the occupied territories and the Palestinian people.
“The words of the prophet Isaiah resonate more urgently than ever: ‘Nation will not lift up sword against nation. They will not learn war anymore.’ Let us listen to this voice. Let us listen to this voice that comes from the Most High; let us heal the wounds caused by the bloody actions of the last days; let us reject every logic of arrogance and revenge and let us resolutely choose the path of dialogue, diplomacy and peace,” the Pope said.
Christians in Syria are living in anxiety and uncertainty as the nation comes to terms with recent political changes after years of civil war. Sunni Islamists took over the country after toppling President Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The new regime has promised to treat religious minorities well, but there have been frequent attacks on non-Sunnis, many of whom have been accused of supporting the Assad regime.
“I trusted them [the new government], but we didn’t see anything on the ground,” Bishop Moises Moussa El Khoury, an auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, told The National, a publication that is part of Abu Dhabi Media and which covers the Middle East.
“We saw nothing in reality. Just talk, talk, talk. But we’re not asking for much – just provide security for people. That’s all we want. In my whole life, nothing like this has ever happened. I’ve been in Damascus since 1970, and never, not even once, have I seen anything like this,” he said.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch addressed the terrorist attack in a statement: “The treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening divine liturgy.”
The patriarchate called upon Syria’s authorities to “assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens”.
Photo: Pope Leo XIV during the weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square, Vatican, 25 June 2025. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images.)