Pope Leo expresses grief over Syria church suicide bombing
(MENAFN) Pope Leo has expressed deep sorrow following a deadly suicide bombing that struck a Greek Orthodox church in Syria’s capital over the weekend.
The attack, which occurred on Sunday at the Saint Elias Church in Damascus, left 25 people dead and more than 60 injured. Responsibility for the bombing was claimed by a little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group. Initial reports had attributed the assault to the Islamic State group, which has carried out similar operations in the past.
"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," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
"He expresses heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy," added the cardinal, who ranks second in authority within the Catholic Church.
The explosion marked the first suicide bombing to hit a church in Syria since the outbreak of the country’s civil war in 2011, according to information from a UK-based conflict monitor.
Syria’s Christian population has suffered significant decline over the years, with numbers falling from approximately one million in 2011 to an estimated 300,000 today.
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