{"id":59433,"date":"2025-06-24T08:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?p=59433"},"modified":"2025-06-24T08:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T13:28:19","slug":"wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"WCC central committee appalled by bomb attack on Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a minute, the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee expressed how appalled it was by the news of a suicide bomb attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria\u2019s capital Damascus on 22 June.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt is reported that about 25 people have been killed and 68 seriously injured in the attack by militants linked to the so-called\u00a0\u2018Islamic State\u2019\u00a0extremist group,\u201d reads the minute.\u00a0\u201cIt is the first suicide bombing inside Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, and represents a renewed threat to the safety and security of the Christian churches and communities of Syria in the post-Assad context.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WCC governing body conveyed its deep condolences to all the bereaved and injured, and prayed for their recovery and safety. \u201cWe express our Christian solidarity to His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Damascus,\u201d reads the minute. \u201cWe, on behalf of the worldwide ecumenical fellowship of the WCC, stand in Christian solidarity with the members of his church, and with all churches and Christian communities in Syria whose sense of security in their own country has been deeply shaken by this attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WCC central committee appealed to the government and authorities of Syria to take swift and decisive action to ensure the security of all citizens, especially in cases where sectarian violence targets specific communities. \u201cSuch action is essential to restoring trust and fostering a peaceful and inclusive future for all Syrians,\u201d reads the minute. \u201cWe pray for God\u2019s special blessing and care for the churches and Christian communities of Syria and the whole Middle East, who live and witness in this land, the cradle of our shared faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WCC central committee is convening 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minute on Bomb Attack on Mar Elias Church, Damascus<\/strong><\/a>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a minute, the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee expressed how appalled it was by the news of a suicide bomb attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria\u2019s capital Damascus on … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20176,"featured_media":59434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[],"topic":[],"region":[20022,20031],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWCC central committee appalled by bomb attack on Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria - Global Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WCC central committee appalled by bomb attack on Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria - Global Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a minute, the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee expressed how appalled it was by the news of a suicide bomb attack on the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Syria\u2019s capital Damascus on … Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Global Ministries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T13:28:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T13:28:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syria-photo-Hibert-WCC.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"931\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Middle East and Europe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MidEastEuropeGM\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Middle East and Europe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/\",\"name\":\"WCC central committee appalled by bomb attack on Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria - Global Ministries\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T13:28:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-24T13:28:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/#\/schema\/person\/4b18b6cf8489c64f6ea75a366861d9ac\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/wcc-central-committee-appalled-by-bomb-attack-on-mar-elias-greek-orthodox-church-in-syria\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WCC central committee appalled by bomb attack on Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Syria\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/\",\"name\":\"Global Ministries\",\"description\":\"Global Ministries is a common missional witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. 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