The West claims to slow persecution. Otherwise Christians in the Middle East opinion

As a terrorist, he shot the Church of Saint Elias in Syria and entered a hand bomb during a memorial mass on June 22, Brotherhood Girgs and Botos Bihara knew that they were facing death when they moved quickly to save hundreds. Girgs kicked the explosive device, while the terrorist Putos wrestled. When the launcher bombed his suicide bomber, the explosion exploded through them, as he sent shrapnel from their bodies to the air – but their sacrifices saved the lives of many from 300 worshipers who attended the souvenir service.

Just feet, Mariana, 19, came to the church to light a candle. She survived the initial explosion, but she died late for a few days later. In a tragic gesture, her relatives and neighbors asked her parents to show her coffin on the street where she lived, so that they can throw sweets on her – a Syrian tradition usually dedicated to honoring the bride before her wedding.

The massacre in the Church of Saint Elias in Damascus has killed 25 Greek Orthodox Christians and has wounded more than 60 years – the bloodiest attack against Syrian Christians in Damascus since 1860.

Selective anger in the world

The Christian population in Syria has been destroyed from 1.5 million to less than 300,000 since 2011. However, global silence reveals destructive double standards.

when The Alawites were killed in March 2025The United States and the United Nations immediately called for accountability. However, the atrocities against Alawits continues daily. In recent days, the Shiite community in Syria has also faced atrocities by the terrorists.

the The European Union (EU) condemned the church’s attack on June 22nd. the US State Department My condolences were offered, while The United Nations released strong condemnation But nothing has suggested tangible pressure on the government of Syria. Hypocrisy becomes clear when examining financial support. the The European Union filed sanctions against Syria in February 2025Restore funds towards infrastructure. On June 30, President Donald Trump issued a historical executive order that ends sanctions to support the country’s road to stability and peace.

Christians feel abandoned

Before the church bombing, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate criticized the insufficient Syrian government’s response to preserving the safety of Christians. Christians have routinely expressed that they are not safe in Syria anymore. They were part of the opposition in Syria since the local war began in 2011. However, their voices are ignored systematically.

The Syrians of all religions – former Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Wiwes, Christians, Druze, and others – all raised their voices in favor of Syria, which belongs to all Syrians. George Sharo, former Adfa The volunteer who helped the needy in Lebanon and now run his information technology in Damascus, Newsweek How the Syrians of all religions were praying for the martyrs who were killed in the church and to finish violence against all Syrians.

An invitation to take concrete measures

Christians persecuted in Syria continued unabated for more than a decade. Sisters and other clergy members – including two most respected religious leaders – were kidnapped. Some disappeared without a trace, and others were brutally killed, and in some cases, a ransom was paid. The churches have been bombed. The entire Christian neighborhoods were emptied.

I personally knew one of those who kidnapped: Archbishop Johanna Ibrahim. He was a friend of the late father, a man of deep faith, mercy, and the steadfast commitment to peace and dialogue between religions. The disappearance of the Archbishop Ibrahim, along with the bishops of bishops, Paulus, Yaziji, the brother of Patriarch John x Yazigi, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Antioch, is a wound that is still open to their families and the entire region.

On June 25, during his public public, Pope Liu XIV condemned the shelling of the church He expressed deep solidarity with Christians in Syria, saying: “I am close to you, and the entire church stands with you.” But will His Holiness go further? Is it invited an international conference calling for Syria for all Syrians? Will the Vatican, the American government, the European Union and the United Nations say their names: Mariana, Gerags, Potos, and all the victims? Let these words hesitate to the constitution of Syria, laws, spirit, and daily life of the country – words worth repetition: Syria for all Syrians.

Nuri Keno is a multi -award -winning independent prize correspondent and a minority expert.

The views expressed in this article are a writer.