Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Ecumenical Patriarchate:
An unspeakable atrocity took place on Sunday, June 22, 2025 in Dweila, a village on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria. A suicide bomber entered the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church during the Divine Liturgy and detonated his explosive vest, murdering twenty-two people and injuring another 63.
According to Noureddine Al-Baba, a spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry, the attacker was linked the Islamic State terrorist group, which several years ago controlled large swaths of Syria.
In a phone conversation with His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew “unequivocally condemned the bombing at the Greek Orthodox Church. He emphasized that every act of terrorism, especially when targeting places of worship, is in fact an assault against the peaceful coexistence of peoples, religions, and cultures. The Patriarch prayed that the Almighty God may grant rest to the souls of the innocent victims and asked Patriarch John to convey his heartfelt condolences and support to their families. He also expressed wishes for the swift recovery of those injured in the attack.”
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a statement, saying that “on this day when our Antiochian Church commemorates All the Saints of Antioch, 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 at the Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweilaa, Damascus.”
The Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East stated that it “strongly condemns this heinous act and denounces, in the strongest terms, this horrific crime. It calls upon the responsible 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.”
The tragedy in Dweila on Sunday is just the latest example of the deteriorating situation for Christians in the homeland of Saints John Chrysostom, John of Damascus, Ignatius of Antioch, and so many others. We urgently beseech the United Nations and all relevant international human rights organizations to move quickly to protect the Christians of Syria. Above all, let us join His All-Holiness and His Beatitude in fervent prayer for the suffering Christians of this afflicted land.
Yours in the service of the Holy Mother Church,
Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Megas Aktouarios
National Commander