During a recent General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV condemned the “vile terrorist attack” perpetrated June 22 by the Islamic State on the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church in Damascus, Syria.
The attack took place during the solemnity of Corpus Christi, when two armed terrorists entered the church during services and detonated explosives, leaving 25 people dead and injuring 63 others. Following the attack, Pope Leo expressed solidarity with suffering Christians in the Middle East by stating, “I am close to you, and the whole Church stands with you.”
These violent incidents are a consequence of the persecution, violence and displacement that Christians have faced in Syria and much of the Middle East since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011. During this period, the Christian population in Syria, as well as throughout most of the Middle East, has significantly diminished. A substantial number of Christians have emigrated from the Middle East in recent decades, with estimates indicating a reduction from 20% of the population to around 3% to 4%.
At a recent plenary Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches, the Holy See’s humanitarian arm for Eastern Churches, Pope Leo encouraged participants in their work in hostile areas.
He said, “All of us, by virtue of our humanity are called to examine the causes of these conflicts, to identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them. But also, to reject those that are false, the result of emotional manipulation and rhetoric, and to make every effort to bring them to light. People must not die because of fake news.” This committee strives to support clergy and faithful from Ukraine, Turkey, Syria, the Holy Land, Iran and Eritrea.
He reminded participants that their work is “a mission in the name of the Gospel.” He added, “You are sowing seeds of hope in the lands of the Christian East, which today, as never before, are devastated by wars, plundered by special interests and covered by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic.”
He lamented that “sadly, too, there have been instances of oppression and misunderstanding within the Catholic community itself, which at times failed to acknowledge and appreciate the value of traditions other than those of the West.”
He called on Christians in the West to come to the aid of Christians in the East, primarily by their witness. “It is our call to imitate Christ, who conquered evil by the love he showed on the Cross, and to show a way of reigning quite different from that of Herod and Pilate,” Pope Leo said. “Herod for fear of being deposed, murdered children, who even today continue to be torn apart by bombs; Pilate washed his hands as we risk doing every day until we arrive at the point of no return.”
Addressing the general state of the world and how quickly nations wage war upon one another, he added, “It is truly distressing to see the principle of ‘might makes right’ prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest. It is troubling to see that the force of international law and humanitarian law seems no longer to be binding, replaced by the alleged right to coerce others.”
In conclusion, the Holy Father prayed for the Churches of East and West, entrusting “this shared growth in faith to the intercession of the Holy Mother of God and of the apostles Peter and Paul, who united East and West.”
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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