SYRIA: PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS IN SYRIA AFTER DEADLY ATTACK ON CHURCH

On Sunday 22nd June, A suicide bomber in Damascus, Syria, attacked the Greek Orthodox Church in Dweilaa during mass. At least nine Christians were killed.

According to the official Syrian press agency SANA, nine people were killed and 13 injured when a suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS (so called Islamic State militant group) entered the church and detonated an explosive vest he was wearing. The final number of those killed or injured is not yet certain.

In a Facebook post, the Antioch Patriarchate published a statement this evening, saying that it ‘denounces in the strongest terms this horrific crime. It calls upon the responsible authorities to assume full responsibility for what has happened’. The Patriarchate also asks the authorities ‘to ensure the protection of all citizens’.

“Seeking to build a homeland of security and stability”

The Syrian government strongly condemned the attack. SANA reported that the minister of Information Dr Hamza Al-Mustafa offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims: “This cowardly act contradicts the values of citizenship that unite us all. We, as Syrians, affirm the importance of national unity and civil peace, and call for boosting the bonds of brotherhood among all components of society.

“We will not back down from our commitment to equal citizenship, which seeks to build a homeland of security and stability. We also stress the state’s pledge to exert all efforts to combat criminal organisations and ensure the protection of society from any attacks that threaten its safety.”

Please urgently pray

Please pray for the authorities as they respond to this attack, and for all who are ministering to the injured and mourning. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who lost loved ones in this terrible attack, that our Lord may comfort them. Pray also for all the wounded, that they will get the right treatment. Pray for the whole Christian community in Syria that is shocked by what has happened in Damascus.

Main image: Churches in the village of Ma’loula, Syria, December 2024