US EditionSyria's Christians fear for future after devastating church attack
- After the deadly attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus, churches continued to celebrate Divine Liturgies on June 30, 2025, with lower attendance due to fear and anxiety.
- Church attendance in Damascus declined, while other Syrian provinces saw larger congregations with no significant drop compared to pre-attack levels.
- Before the attack, 50% of Christians were considering leaving Syria; that number increased to 90% afterward, according to Father Antonios Raafat Abu Al-Nasr.
- Security personnel from the Ministry of Interior have been deployed to guard Mar Elias Church since the attack.
22 Articles
22 Articles
A church becomes a mass grave: an Islamist kills 25 believers in the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, more than 60 are seriously injured. The Islamist government reacts. Many Christians wonder: Is there still hope in Syria?
Nearly two weeks after the brutal Islamist attack on a church in Damascus, the new government continues to offer no answers - no arrests - as the fear of Syria being emptied of Christians spreads. Prior to the civil war, Christianity, both Orthodox and Catholic, accounted for 10 percent of the population. Thirteen years of armed conflict reduced that percentage to four percent, according to ABC, Bishop of Homs Jean Abdo Arbach, confirmed last Ma…
Churches in Syria Resume Liturgies Amid Heightened Security and Unease
Mohammad Al-Rifai The faithful take part in the Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of the Olive Church in Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, June 29, 2025. Father Al-Nasr confirmed that the Ministry of Interior has deployed security personnel to guard the church since the day of the attack — and that these officers remain stationed there for now.
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