Statement by the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land
Jerusalem 23 June 2025
It is with profound shock and deep revulsion that we received the tragic news of the suicide bombing at St. Elias Church in the suburbs of Damascus, during Sunday prayer, that caused numerous fatalities and injuries among the faithful.
There is no justification—religious, moral, or rational—for the slaughter of innocents, least of all in a sacred space. Such violence under the guise of faith is a grave perversion of all that is holy. This is an act of unspeakable evil—a crime against humanity and a sin before God.
This attack is also a direct assault on the right to worship in peace and safety. As the Document on Human Fraternity (Abu Dhabi, 2019) affirms:
“The protection of places of worship—synagogues, churches and mosques—is a duty guaranteed by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the teachings of religions”
We strongly condemn this barbaric act and reject the ideologies that seek to justify violence in the name of religion. We extend our deepest condolences to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and express our solidarity with all Christian communities of Syria, who have endured years of persecution, displacement, and now face renewed fear and insecurity.
We pray to “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction” [2 Corinthians 1:3–4], for the eternal rest of those who were killed, for the healing of the wounded, and for comfort and strength for their bereaved families.
We call upon the Syrian authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and freedom of Christians throughout the country, so that they may live in safety and contribute fully to the life of their homeland.
Mindful that such acts inflict deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal [Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, Sunday 22 June 2025], we pray and hope that the swamps of hatred and fanaticism be decisively eradicated so that the peoples of the Middle East—and beloved Syria in particular—may finally live in peace, dignity, and shared humanity.
