Published: Sunday, June 22, 2025

Antiochian Church Tragedy:

As our Antiochian Church gathered to honor All the Saints of Antioch—a day of spiritual celebration and reflection—a devastating act of violence pierced our collective heart. An explosion during the evening Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Prophet Elias in the Dweilaa district of Damascus claimed the lives of many faithful and wounded others in an attack that has shaken our global Orthodox family.

While the full extent of the devastation is still being uncovered, the grief is immediate and profound. Families mourn loved ones lost in prayer, and communities grieve together across borders. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East has condemned this horrific assault on sacred life and calls on local authorities to uphold the sanctity of worship and protect the vulnerable.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X is personally monitoring the situation and has called for both regional and international support to confront this escalating threat to peace. With heavy hearts, we join him in lifting our prayers for the souls of the departed, for healing among the wounded, and for strength for the bereaved.

His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, along with seminarians and pilgrims currently in Lebanon, remains far from the physical violence but stands deeply united in spirit, offering continual prayers for all affected.

In faith, we do not bow to fear. In mourning, we do not let go of hope. And in our sorrow, we hold tighter to one another—clinging to the promise that Christ, our refuge, never forsakes His people.

Lord, have mercy on Your Church. Bring peace to Damascus. Heal the brokenhearted.