(LifeSiteNews) — Syrian districts with significant Christian populations have experienced a rise in violence during the month of July, including a notable attack on the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of St. Michael in Al-Sura, a village in the Suwayda region.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a pontifical charitable organization, reported on the increased violence.
“This community has lost everything,” a local source told ACN. “They had very little to begin with—they were already among the poorest in the region—and now they have nothing left.”
St. Michael Church was set ablaze by unknown perpetrators on July 15, with the full extent of the damage being unknown. In the same act of arson, 38 homes belonging to Christian families were destroyed, leading to the 70 displaced Christians taking shelter in a church at nearby Shahba.
In another incident of terror this month, a plot to bomb the Maronite Church of Mar Elias in Tartus was thankfully foiled by local security forces. On July 13, Islamic terrorists parked a car filled with explosives beside the church, only to be captured in an ambush by the authorities shortly after.
Both incidents occurred within a month of the suicide bombing at the Orthodox Church of St. Elias in Dweil’a, Damascus. The June 22 attack took place during a Divine Liturgy in the predominantly Christian village, killing 30 people and injuring 54.
READ: US gov’t must take action against anti-Christian violence in Syria: report
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a statement expressing his incredible sadness at the loss of life.
“We pray for the repose of the souls of the martyrs, for the healing of the wounded, and for the comfort of our people,” said His Beatitude John X.
“The Patriarchate calls on the authorities to assume full responsibility for what has occurred and continues to occur in terms of violations of the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens.”
Faith in the Syrian government’s ability to protect Christians has sharply declined since the toppling of the Assad regime. The Assad regime had furiously battled radical Muslims who persecuted Christians in the region, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, enacting the penalty of death for any of its members. After the terrorist-aligned rebels gained power, the persecution began to intensify.
John X previously accused the al-Qaeda-linked government of Syria of stoking the flames of Christian persecution.
While addressing the suicide bombing, he spoke directly towards the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, “We do not accept that it would happen during the revolution and during your honorable era.”
“This is condemned and unacceptable.”
