“This Was a Massacre”: Patriarch John X Leads Funeral for Martyrs of Damascus Church Attack

OCP News Service  & Orthodox Times – 24/06/2025

Damascus – Syria : With heavy hearts and solemn prayers, the funeral and memorial service for the victims of the terrorist attack at the Church of Prophet Elias in Douweila, Damascus, was held today, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The service, officiated by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, took place at the Church of the Holy Cross in Qassaa, drawing hundreds of faithful in mourning and prayer.

Following the Divine Liturgy, the bodies of the martyrs were transferred to the Church of Prophet Elias in Douweila, where further prayers were offered before their final burial. The attack, which occurred during the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, June 22, claimed 22 lives and wounded over 50 worshippers.

On Wednesday, June 25, the Patriarch and the families of the martyrs will receive condolences at the Church of the Holy Cross from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

Prior to the funeral, Patriarch John X convened an emergency meeting of the Metropolitans of Syria at the Patriarchal Residence, including Metropolitans Basil Mansour (Akkar), Nicholas Baalbaki (Hama), Athanasios Fahd (Latakia), Ephraim Maalouli (Aleppo), Gregory Khoury (Homs), and Antonios Saad (Hauran). Together, they mourned, prayed, and condemned the attack as a deliberate act of violence against the Christian presence in Syria.

In a moving and unscripted address, Patriarch John X declared:

“What occurred was not a random act of violence. It was a massacre—a targeted assault on the Christian community, on the very soul of Syria.”

He emphasized that the faithful who were slain died in the midst of prayer, having just heard the Gospel. He called them “martyrs of the Church and of the homeland,” and hailed their courage and sacrifice, particularly that of three young men—Grigorios, Bashar, and Peter—who physically confronted the attacker and died preventing a larger tragedy.

The Patriarch voiced the pain and frustration of the faithful, noting the absence of government officials at the funeral and calling upon the Syrian leadership to respond with justice and responsibility.

“This crime must not go unanswered,” he said. “Our people are hungry for truth, for peace, for safety. It is the duty of the state to provide it.”

He concluded with a call to unity and resilience:

“These martyrs are not only Christians—they are Syrians. And their sacrifice stands as a witness that we will not yield to fear. In their memory, we continue our journey with courage and hope.”

As bells tolled and incense rose into the air, the Church of Antioch once again bore witness to the cost of faith in a wounded land. The Orthodox faithful across the world stand in prayerful solidarity with the Church of Syria and the families of the new martyrs of Damascus.

Source:

OCP News Service