{"id":57410,"date":"2025-07-18T12:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=57410"},"modified":"2025-07-24T18:31:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T18:31:52","slug":"violence-against-christians-escalates-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/learn\/violence-against-christians-escalates-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Violence against Christians escalates in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 12 of 14 in the series Islam: Satan's Religion<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n
\n In a scene marked by deep sorrow and righteous anger, churches across Syria held funeral services for the victims of the suicide bombing that targeted St. Elias Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left dozens injured. \/ Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai\/ACI MENA<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, 2025 \/ 06:00 am (CNA).<\/p>\n

Aqu\u00ed hay un resumen de las noticias cat\u00f3licas mundiales de la \u00faltima semana que quiz\u00e1s te hayas perdido. <\/p>\n

Violence against Christians escalates in Syria<\/h2>\n

Christian communities in Syria continue to experience escalating violence, with one church severely damaged and another narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal car bombing attack, according to CNA\u2019s Arabic-language news partner ACI Mena<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vandals desecrated the altar at Mar Michael (Saint Michael) Church in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, smashed Christian symbols, and set fire to its ceiling and walls, charring the upper icons and the central cross above the altar. <\/p>\n

In a parallel development, security forces thwarted an attempt to bomb the Maronite Church of Mar Elias (Saint Elias) in eastern rural Tartus. Three individuals who planned to detonate a car bomb loaded with roughly 44 pounds of explosives have been arrested. The attacks come amid escalating armed clashes in southern Syria between Druze and Bedouin militias. <\/p>\n

Sako appeals to Iraqi prime minister to protect Christian heritage in Najaf<\/h2>\n

Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Rapha\u00ebl Sako has issued an urgent appeal to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia\u2019 al-Sudani, calling on him to avert the threat of encroachment on sacred Christian historical sites in Najaf province dating back to the sixth century, ACI MENA reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n

en un July 15 statement<\/a>, Sako cited \u201ctrusted sources in Najav\u201d who warned of \u201cattempts to allocate historic Christian cemeteries for investment\u201d despite their status as archeological sites. The Chaldean patriarch further noted that \u201coil will one day run out,\u201d and the historic sites could one day become a destination for religious tourism, bringing in substantial revenues. <\/p>\n

Among them are the al-Manathira Cemetery, burial site of great Patriarchs of the Church of the East, and Umm Khishm Cemetery<\/a>, which dates back to the time of the Kingdom of al-Hira<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chinese bishop encourages faithful to abandon burdensome dowry custom <\/h2>\n

In a wedding Mass homily on July 13, Archbishop Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan invited the faithful to abandon the still-widespread custom of wedding dowries, a practice which has caused couples in rural areas to break up due to the financial burden it places on families, according to a report from Fides<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Bishop Meng reportedly described the sacrament of marriage as \u201ca union of free, mutual self-giving blessed by God\u201d and \u201ccalled on spouses to accept one another, support each other in the Christian upbringing of their children, and care for one another, following the example of the Good Samaritan.\u201d <\/p>\n

Filipino cardinal slams government for promoting online gambling addictions <\/h2>\n

The president of the Catholic Bishops\u2019 Conference of the Philippines, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, delivered a sharp criticism of the government in a homily on July 13 for promoting online gambling addictions, according to a local Catholic news report<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe fail to see the real culprit: a government that grants licenses and expands online gambling platforms just to earn revenue for public spending \u2014 spending that often becomes a tool for political power,\u201d he declared, adding: \u201cThe Word opens our eyes to see the hidden victims on these digital highways. \u2026 It urges us to take concrete steps to help these vulnerable ones whom society often ignores.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vietnamese bishop celebrates the abolition of the death penalty for eight crimes <\/h2>\n

Bishop Joseph Nguyen Dec Cuong of Thanh H\u00f3a, president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, is celebrating the country\u2019s decision to end the death penalty<\/a> for crimes against the state, bribery, and drugs. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision marks an encouraging step forward in legal awareness, in line with the spirit of international treaties,\u201d the bishop said<\/a>, adding that the occasion marked a significant step towards \u201ca modern constitutional state, in which life is protected, human dignity is respected, and opportunities for rehabilitation are open.\u201d <\/p>\n

Religious freedom group calls on EU to create position to combat Christian hate crimes <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Spain has called on the president of the European Commission to create a Special Coordinator position to combat anti-Christian hate crimes, according to a Christian Daily report<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is imperative that the European Commission act with the same commitment it shows in the fight against other forms of religious hatred,\u201d OLRC President Mar\u00eda Garc\u00eda said in a press statement. Equivalent positions exist to combat anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the EU already.<\/p>\n

Charity pledges continued support for seminarians in Nigeria as vocations rise<\/h2>\n

The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN) has expressed its commitment to continue supporting the formation of priests in Nigeria, where the foundation has observed exponential growth in vocations, informa ACI \u00c1frica<\/a>. <\/p>\n

ACN said on Monday it would move forward in its support for one more year for the 76 members of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy, who are currently studying to be priests.<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria is a dangerous country for priests,\u201d the organization stated<\/a>. \u201cIn the last 10 years, more than 150 have been kidnapped and more than a dozen murdered. However, the number of vocations has not decreased, but has even increased, and many young men aspire to become diocesan or religious priests.\u201d <\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/265395\/violence-against-christians-escalates-in-syria<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This entry is part 12 of 14 in the series Islam: Satan's Religion<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

In a scene marked by deep sorrow and righteous anger, churches across Syria held funeral services for the victims of the suicide bombing that targeted St. Elias Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left dozens injured. \/ Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai\/ACI MENA Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":57409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[1064],"tags":[],"series":[1057],"class_list":["post-57410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-islam","series-islam-satans-religion"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/CNA_LOGOredblk-128.png?fit=2692%2C752&quality=69&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55374,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/es\/learn\/report-details-killings-discrimination-against-religious-minorities-in-post-assad-syria\/","url_meta":{"origin":57410,"position":0},"title":"Report details killings, discrimination against religious minorities in post-Assad Syria","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"julio 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Mourners gather in the Church of the Holy Cross in Qassaa, Damascus, for the funeral of many who lost their lives in a terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria\u2019s capital on Sunday, June 22, 2025. \/ Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai\/ACI MENA Washington, D.C. 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