Church Leaders Condemn Massacres in Syria, Call for Peace

Ortho Christian and OCP News Service – 10/03/2025

Damascus – Syria: Brutal violence erupted in Syria last week as security forces of the new government launched a deadly campaign against civilians accused of loyalty to former President Bashar al-Assad. The attacks primarily targeted Alawite Muslims and the country’s diminishing Christian population.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that around 745 civilians were killed in 30 separate “massacres” along the west coast on Friday and Saturday, according to the BBC. However, other sources, including The Guardian, Reuters, and the Associated Press (AP), estimate the death toll to be in the thousands. The surge in violence marks one of the deadliest escalations in Syria’s 14-year civil conflict. Ortho Christian also reported on the worsening crisis, emphasizing the vulnerability of Syria’s Christian population.

Horror in Baniyas and Latakia

The Associated Press (AP) detailed the devastation in Baniyas, one of the hardest-hit towns. Residents described bodies lying unburied on the streets, rooftops, and inside homes, with security forces preventing families from retrieving the corpses of their slain neighbors.

Reports from Latakia indicate further brutality. The Guardian noted that videos from the region depict massacred civilians in civilian clothing, piled on top of one another as grieving women wailed. Non-official sources have circulated disturbing footage of individuals being abused and humiliated before their execution. Reuters reports that several hundred civilians have sought refuge at the Russian military base in Latakia to escape the bloodshed.

Additionally, multiple videos reveal security forces breaking into and desecrating Christian churches, exacerbating the already dire situation for religious minorities in Syria.

Church Leaders Call for Peace

Amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, along with the local Syriac and Melkite Catholic Patriarchs, issued a joint statement denouncing the violence and calling for immediate peace. The statement, also reported by Ortho Christian, reads:

“In recent days, Syria has witnessed a dangerous escalation of violence, brutality, and killings, resulting in attacks on innocent civilians, including women and children. Homes have been violated, their sanctity disregarded, and properties looted—scenes that starkly reflect the immense suffering endured by the Syrian people.

The Christian Churches, while strongly condemning any act that threatens civil peace, denounce and condemn the massacres targeting innocent civilians and call for an immediate end to these horrific acts, which stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values.

The Churches also call for the swift creation of conditions conducive to achieving national reconciliation among the Syrian people. They urge efforts to establish an environment that facilitates the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundation for a society based on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, free from the logic of vengeance and exclusion. At the same time, they reaffirm the unity of Syrian territory and reject any attempts to divide it.

The Churches call on all concerned parties within Syria to assume their responsibilities, put an end to the violence, and seek peaceful solutions that uphold human dignity and preserve national unity.

We pray that God may protect Syria and its people and that peace may prevail throughout the land.”

As the violence continues, international observers warn of further instability, urging immediate diplomatic intervention to prevent further massacres and to protect Syria’s vulnerable populations.

Source:

OCP News Service