Suicide bomber kills churchgoers in Damascus

A man opened fire Sunday evening at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias in the Syrian capital. Syrian authorities blamed Islamic State terrorists for the bombing, but the group had not officially taken responsibility as of Monday morning. Reports of the casualties differed—Syrian state media reported nine dead and 13 injured, while the Associated Press and BBC separately reported that more than 20 people were killed with dozens of others wounded.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and destabilize the country, according to a translation of a released statement. Syria held the parties that support the Islamic State group as fully responsible for the attack. Syria sees the attack as being not on any one sect but on the Syrian national identity, according to the statement.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East condemned the attack and said the church would remain committed to their faith despite the danger and intimidation.

What have world leaders said? The Greek Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis spoke with leaders in the Greek Orthodox Church following the bombing. Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union, the Arab Parliament, and other international leaders also spoke out against the violence. The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon called the attack a crime against humanity and Open Doors urged Christians to pray for the victims and for authorities who responded to the bombing.

Dig deeper: Read my report about a clash between Methodist branches in Nigeria that left three people dead.