Christians between the wounds of Daramsuq and fears of tomorrow: From St. Elias Church to Middle East conflicts

DARAMSUQ (DAMASCUS) / BEIRUT/ ZALIN (QAMISHLI) — Inside the People’s Palace in Daramsuq (Damascus), Patriarch Mor John X Yazigi sat alongside Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in a meeting staged to send a message: Christians remain part of Syria’s national fabric. The encounter came only weeks after a devastating attack on St. Elias Church in the Dweilaa neighborhood that left dozens of worshippers martyred. 

In a statement, the presidency said both the president and the patriarch emphasized that national unity was essential to the survival of the state. Yet the shockwaves of the St. Elias suicide bombing, and the fears it has stirred among Syria’s Christians, have reached far beyond the words of official statements. 

Days earlier, Maher al-Sharaa, secretary-general of the presidency, visited the patriarchate on behalf of his brother, the president. He was accompanied by an official delegation that included the minister of information and other senior officials. The delegation conveyed the state’s condolences to the martyrs of the terrorist attack, emphasizing that “the future will be built together, hand in hand.” 

Mor John X Yazigi welcomed the gesture but underscored what he called the “authentic role of Christians in Syria and the wider region,” stressing that the Patriarchate of Antioch “has always stood with the people of this land, above majority-minority calculations.” 

An Opened Wound and Unanswered Questions 

Despite such reassurances, unease runs deep within the Christian community. Echoua Gouriye, a member of the Executive Council of the Bethnahrin National Council (Mawtbo Umthoyo d’Bethnahrin, MUB), argued that many political parties and church institutions have yet to grasp the depth and gravity of the moment Christians in Syria are living through. 

“Our patriarchs have failed to formulate joint demands and come up with a comprehensive policy program. They did not co-opt our political parties nor our civil society organizations. They are going their own way. As if the problem of Christians in Syria isn’t their own. Although they have their residences here in Syria, they are rarely present there,” he said.

For many, he added, the result is a crisis of trust. “What are Christians to make of this? They are losing faith in their organizations, especially in the churches in which they had previously placed their trust. People realize they cannot continue on this path. And because they see no concrete steps from their church leaders, their fear for the future is growing. Will Christians face new attacks? Will they be killed? Will their assets be confiscated?   

Gouriye placed these anxieties within a broader regional context. “Today, a new Middle East is forming,” he said. Within this developing constellation, we see many wars. Each country has its own interests and vision of how the Middle East should look like. Moreover, Hezbollah has not yet surrendered its weapons. We see the Houthis in Yemen still firing missiles at Israel. The war between Israel and Iran doesn’t seem to be over yet. So? What awaits us in the future? Wars! That much is clear to me. A war between Israel and Lebanon in the near future is certainly not unthinkable. Nor is a Western attack on Yemen—to further weaken Iran—unthinkable.” 

The key question, he insisted, is where Christians will stand as these conflicts escalate. “Everyone will pay the price of these wars. Are Lebanon’s Christians ready? What if the Islamic State (ISIS) or other extremist groups reemerge? Will major powers intervene to save a Christian village here or a small town there? Never. This is our responsibility.” 

“If our churches truly want to be politically engaged, let them open their doors to experienced and specialized people in this field and collaborate with them.” Limiting themselves to issuing statements against powerful regional actors does more harm than good. 

After St. Elias Attack

From palace meetings in Daramsuq (Damascus) to upcoming conferences in Beirut, a single image is coming into focus: Christians of the Middle East stand at a crossroads. On one side are official assurances of unity and continuity; on the other, grassroots voices demanding that churches and political movements adapt to an increasingly volatile reality. 

The unanswered question remains: can Christians move from being anxious witnesses to responsible actors in shaping the future of their homelands? Or will internal divisions and ritualized rhetoric leave them sidelined as the region edges toward yet more cycles of violence and war?