With at least 22 people killed, over 50 wounded, and 13 in critical condition, the Christian community in Syria suffered a hard blow on Sunday, 22 June, when a terrorist attacked Saint Elias Church in Dweilaa, Damascus. Christians are still in shock about what happened.
The bloody attack took place during the usual evening mass in the Saint Elias church where hundreds of faithful congregants gathered. At least one suicide bomber entered the church and began shooting, with the bomb belt then exploding, killing himself and many others in the church.
The church is situated less than a kilometre from one of the historical entrance gates to old-Damascus and stands close to the Saint Joseph church.
“I am paralysed and speechless about what happened yesterday in Damascus,” says Mourad*, who is responsible for the work of Open Doors’ local partner in Syria. “This is the last thing that Christians and we hoped to experience. Innocent people attending the Sunday prayers and most probably praying for the country and their individual situation, getting confronted with death of their loved ones.”
He continues with, “Condemning what happened which everybody is doing now, will not bring back the dead people to their families. The trauma of what happened hits us all hard. We have mixed feelings of anger and questioning why this had to happen again. We thought getting rid of the previous regime is going to give us some sense of freedom, yet it seems there are still people who only believe in killing.”
Christians Face Daily Death Threats
According to Mourad, the Christians in Syria “are receiving daily threats by fundamentalists that they will be next. The current armed gangsters who are spread all over the country are thirsty to more killing.”
He also points at the authorities who are, “pretending to protect the rights of everybody in Syria, but this is not what their people have been fed all these years they were incubated in Idlib. The pressure of Islamisation is around every corner in Syria. This incident will make Christians and church leaders live on their tip toes waiting for the next attack. We pray that the international community and the blood of these martyrs will advocate for the rest of the Christians in Syria.”
The local partner is supporting the Greek Orthodox Church throughout the country. Mourad shares, “We are offering trauma counselling in case the church itself does not have enough capacity to provide deep care to the affected church and family members. In the meantime, we are encouraging and supporting church leaders in our network to come with a clear statement for protection from the Government, so that the Church can continue to play its role in re-building the Syrian society.”
“Nothing can describe the fear”
Dweilaa, where the Saint Elias church is located, is a modest area. Many of the buildings aren’t officially built because the people living there don’t have a lot of money. They find cheaper housing in unofficial apartments.
During the attack on Saint Elias there was also a mass in the Saint Joseph church, which is located next door. Father Baselios, priest of that church, recounts the terrifying moments. “I was preaching when the shooting began. Then came the screams. Everyone instinctively dropped to the ground. The fear… it was unspeakable. We were all in shock, paralysed by the horror.”
He adds, “The moment that truly rendered me helpless was when a child, one of those who’ve lost their family, rushed to me, saying, ‘Hide me, Father, I don’t want to die’. All the people in the area are tired, a lot of children in shock, some of them are unable to talk after this happened. They lost their voices, even the priest of the church said, “Even though I’m a priest with great hope, I’m incredibly tired and fighting for the parish.”
A young Christian woman from Damascus says, “I lost all hope that there is any life left here for us. Yesterday I heard the shooting and the explosion,” she adds, still terrified by what happened not far from her home.
“It’s just the start of the end,” says another Christian woman in her thirties. “Nothing can describe the fear that we felt yesterday, the heartbreak over the people we knew. Innocent people who were killed only because they are different in their beliefs, because they love Jesus.”
Though at least 22 people were killed, this number is set to rise, as more than 50 people were badly injured, some being rushed to hospitals.
Extremist Groups Operate with Impunity
According to the Syrian authorities, who strongly condemned the attack, the suicide attack was done by a person affiliated with the terror group Islamic State. It was the first major terror attack targeting Christians since the fall of the al-Assad regime in early December 2024. The attack has not been claimed by any group.
Since the fall of the regime there have been two major sectarian killings in Syria. In March, in the mainly Alawite area west of Syria, hundreds of Alawites were killed in a wave of violence. At the end of April in the south of the country, Druze were targeted, with over a hundred losing their lives. People in Syria have their doubts if the government is able to control the different extremist groups in the country.
A Call for the Global Church to Pray
Today, churches all over Syria will remember the victims of the terror attack and pray for those who lost loved ones or are in hospitals.
We call the international Church to pray for their brothers and sisters in Syria. After all they have gone through in the past 14 years of war, this adds to their trauma and fear. Pray acts like this won’t be repeated. Pray the government will be able to bring security and law and order to the country. Pray our Lord will comfort those who lost loved ones in the attack, and pray for all those who were injured and are fighting to survive.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
