Today, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, the funeral and burial service was held for the souls of the victims of the terrorist attack on the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Damascus, Syria.
The funeral rite was officiated by His Beatitude, the Patriarch of Antioch, at the Church of the Holy Cross in the Kassa neighborhood.
Following the memorial service, the bodies of the victims were transferred to the Church of Saint Elijah in the Duwela neighborhood, where additional prayer services were conducted prior to the final interment at the cemetery.
According to the Patriarchate of Antioch, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, together with the families of the victims, will be receiving condolences on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, in the hall of the Church of the Holy Cross in Kassa.
Patriarch of Antioch: What happened is a direct attack against the Christian community in Syria
His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, convened the metropolitans of the Syrian dioceses for a meeting at the Patriarchal Residence, prior to their participation in the funeral service for the martyrs of the Church of Saint Elijah – Duwela.
The meeting was attended by Metropolitans: Basilios Mansour (Akkar), Nicholas Baalbaki (Hama), Athanasios Faht (Latakia), Ephraim Maalouli (Aleppo), Gregory Khoury (Homs), and Antonios Saad (Hauran).
The gathering provided an opportunity to discuss the current circumstances and to express a deep and righteous condemnation of the horrific massacre that took place in the Church of Saint Elijah – Duwela.
The Patriarch and the metropolitans emphasized that this tragic event constitutes a targeted attack not only against the Christian community in Syria but also against every Syrian and every inhabitant of the East.
Photo by: Patriarchate of Antioch
More photos available at: Оrthodoxtimes.com
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