ACI Prensa Staff, 24 June, 2025 / 11:47 am (ACI Africa).
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday said he was “deeply saddened” by the terrorist attack on a church in Damascus, Syria, and assured his prayers for those mourning the 25 people who were killed.
On Sunday, June 22, the solemnity of Corpus Christi, eyewitnesses reported that two armed men stormed the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Elias in Douailah on the outskirts of the Syrian capital.
One of them remained outside, firing at worshippers and into the church’s stained-glass windows, eyewitnesses said, while the second tried to enter the church and detonate a grenade, according to ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.
Two parishioners intervened and managed to wrestle the explosive device away from the second man, preventing an immediate detonation. However, while being dragged outside, the attacker activated his suicide belt, resulting in a massive explosion.
The attack left at least 25 dead and a total of 63 wounded.
