Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV has expressed deep sorrow over the weekend suicide attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus, Syria, which claimed the strengthening lives of 25 people and left more than 60 injured.

The deadly assault, which targeted Saint Elias Church during a Sunday service, was claimed by a little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group. Initial reports had attributed the bombing and shooting to the Islamic State group, which has previously targeted religious minorities in Syria.

In a statement released on Tuesday by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope conveyed his condolences and solidarity with those affected by the tragedy.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the attack on the Greek Orthodox church of Mar Elias in Damascus,” Parolin stated. “He expresses heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy.”

The attack marks the first suicide bombing in a church since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syria’s Christian population, which stood at around one million before the war, has since dwindled to an estimated 300,000 amid years of conflict and persecution by extremist factions.

The Vatican has consistently urged for peace and the protection of religious minorities in conflict zones across the Middle East. Pope Leo XIV has reiterated calls for dialogue, reconciliation, and international support to alleviate the suffering of civilians caught in the region’s prolonged violence.