MCC partner ministers to those affected by church bombing in Syria

The June 22 shooting and suicide bombing that occurred inside the Greek Orthodox Saint Elias church in Damascus, Syria, have traumatized people in the Dweil’a suburb, where Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) supports an emergency food project and a children’s program.

The attack killed 25 people and wounded more than 60 of the 300 people who were at the church, some of whom were MCC project participants. The community is home to Christians and Muslims, including those who have migrated there because of worsening economic situations caused by the ongoing civil war, which began in 2011.

“This act of violence has deeply shaken the Christian community, especially amid reports of additional threats to churches in the Hama region (north of Damascus),” says the Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, director of Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue (FDCD), an MCC partner who coordinates MCC projects in Dweil’a and other locations in Syria.

“It’s not only Christians, the moderate Muslims and the Christians, they are all very upset and tense, and they are all living in the moment, a time of uncertainty,” he says. Even if people weren’t in the church, they know people who were there. 
 

The staff of FDCD, who also were traumatized, were given three days off work and offered professional therapy. As they resume work, they are reaching out to families whose members were injured or killed to help ease their suffering.

The country has been trying to find its footing amid the war and the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Jarjour says that the new leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has promised a government that protects all religious groups, but, he says, foreign extremist fighters have actively targeted religious minorities, both Christian and Muslim.

At the same time, Syrians continue to suffer from high prices and unemployment. Jarjour says increasing numbers of people are migrating from the countryside and other cities to the capital city of Damascus in search of food, jobs and housing.

MCC has been responding to the ongoing need of newcomers and host families through its account at Canadian Foodgrains Bank by providing monthly food parcels of food staples. FDCD has been distributing them to about 5,200 households since April 2024.

The food parcels help recipients cope with the harsh economic and life circumstances, including this attack, Jarjour says. The food is distributed to Muslims and Christians, without preference, which he believes is “enabling coexistence and good relations” among them. 

“Many families shared that the baskets reduce their daily stress, as they no longer worry about how to provide meals for their children,” Jarjour says. “The food parcels allow them to use what little income they have for other urgent needs like rent or medicine, instead of spending it all on food.”

Child Friendly Spaces, an FDCD program that was established throughout Syria to strengthen children’s resilience amid war, continues in the area. None of the children in the program were in the church during the attack, but three were at a nearby playground, Jarjour says. 

The program staff, who provide activities, life skills training, emotional support and food, are paying attention especially to the emotional needs of the 20 children, ages 8-16, who participate in the activities.

For many years, Jarjour has encouraged, trained, mediated and supported activities to strengthen respect among religious groups. He emphasizes the need for continued peacebuilding. 

“We are doing everything we can, together with Christian and Muslim leaders, to prevent further escalation. Our shared goal is to restore social cohesion and promote mutual respect, where every person’s dignity and right to believe differently is protected.”