Coptic Church mourns 20 Syrians martyred at Damascus church in suicide bombing

Watani

7 days ago

The Coptic Orthodox Church issued a statement on 22 June mourning the 20 martyrs who lost their lives earlier that day in a suicide bombing in the church of Saint Elias in Damascus,Syria.
The statement read:
'The Coptic Orthodox Church, led by Pope Tawadros II, bids farewell to the martyrs of Syria as they march towards the paradise of eternal joy. These martyrs fell as a result of the treacherous suicide bombing that took place inside the church of Saint Elias in the Douilaa in Damascus, Syria on Sunday 22 June 2025.
'We condemn the heinous bombing and all similar forms of violence, intimidation, and the stripping of any human being of their natural right to live in safety. The blood of the righteous Abel continues to cry out, bearing witness to human injustice towards fellow humans when evil takes control and the scale of righteousness is upset, so as to leading to a belief that killing is a good deed that pleases God.
'We pray that the comfort of the Holy Spirit fills the heart of our brother, His Beatitude Patriarch John X Yazigi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Church, as well as the hearts of the martyrs' families. May the Lord grant a swift recovery to the wounded, and may He bestow peace and calm upon beloved Syria, our region, and the entire world.'
According to Reuters, at least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at Mar-Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria's capital Damascus on Sunday 22 June.
Syria's Interior Ministry said the suicide bomber was a member of IS, Islamic State. He entered the church, opened fire and then detonated his explosive vest. Syria's Health Ministry reported that 52 persons were also injured in the blast. Scenes from inside the church showed destruction, a bloodied floor, and shattered pews and masonry.
Local Church sources say the church included between 350 and 400 worshippers that day.
Islamic State has been behind several attempted attacks on churches in Syria since Assad's fall.
The Syria martyrs have been mourned by Churches in Egypt and all throughout the region, also by the Councils of Egypt and Middle East Churches. They unanimously expressed pain, dubbing the bombing 'a wound in our heart', and expressed fears for Christian presence in the Middle East.
The news impacted Copts in Egypt especially hard, since it brought to mind painful memories of a suicide bombing that had occurred in Cairo's Boutrossiya Church on 11 November 2016, also during Sunday Mass, in which 29 lost their lives, and 48 were wounded. But in the Cairo bombing, Egypt's Armed Forces rebuilt the damage in the church and fully renovated it, reopening it for worship by New Year 2017.
Blast in Cairo church kills 27, injures 65
Watani International
23 June 2025 Comments
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