Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, stated: “With fervent prayer and immense concern, we are monitoring daily the developments in Syria. Since the fall of the Assad regime, the situation for the Christians in that tragic land has become extremely serious.” Read his full statement here.
“Greek Orthodox Church Attacked in Syria,” International Christian Concern, December 20, 2024:
12/20/2024 Syria (International Christian Concern) — Unidentified assailants on Wednesday attacked the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Hama in Western Syria as unrest continues to grip the nation.
Gunmen shot the walls of the church and tried to demolish the building’s cross. The Greek Herald reported local police were searching for the perpetrators. “The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Hama confirms that a shooting incident took place. What happened has been immediately followed up by the Hama Police Command, and the perpetrators are being tracked down,” local police said in a statement. Unconfirmed reports from Greco-Levantines World Wide also claimed that a nearby cemetery was desecrated in the attack, with crosses being “vandalized and removed.” The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) condemned the church violence and alleged that, while the perpetrators are unknown, the Ansar al-Tawhid, “a jihadist group,” is responsible for many attacks on properties and people. “SNHR strongly condemns [the] attack that targeted Hama’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and its subsidiaries,” the group stated. “We must stress that the targeting of places of worship and religious symbols is a blatant violation of international human rights law … [and] United Nations General Assembly resolution 75/258.”…
