This article supplied by Troy Media.

 By Susan Korah

The murder of Christians during Mass demands more than statements. Canada and its allies must act or share the blame

The June 22 suicide bombing at St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, which killed more than 25 people and injured over 60 during Mass, has devastated Syria’s Christian community and raised urgent concerns about their safety in a fragile, post-Assad Syria.

Activists close to the victims say the attack exposes the failure of the transitional Syrian government to protect religious minorities and underscores the need for immediate international pressure to hold the regime accountable. Without it, they warn, Syria’s ancient Christian presence could vanish.

Syria is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the first century. Though once numbering in the millions, its Christian community’s population has plummeted due to years of war, persecution and mass emigration. The attacker, linked to a shadowy extremist group called Saraya Ansari al-Sunna, opened fire on the 350-person congregation before detonating an explosive vest. The massacre has shattered the cautious optimism held by some Christians who believed Syria had turned a corner after 14 years of civil war.

“Immediately after the vicious attack, no official from the al-Sharaa government came forward to offer support except the only Christian in the cabinet, Hind Kabawat, Minister of Social Affairs,” said a Syrian Christian activist in the Toronto area who requested anonymity as he feared for his safety, even though he had emigrated to Canada years ago and serves on the refugee committee of a Melkite (Eastern rite Catholic) church.

“Our Patriarch John X issued a statement, respectfully appealing to the interim government to protect the lives and religious freedom of all Syria’s
faith groups,” he said.

Mario Bard, head of information with the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need Canada, said it’s imperative for the international community to take action.

“What a horrific attack,” he said. “Once again, a Christian minority community in the Middle East finds itself targeted. The local Church is already speaking of the death of its martyrs. It is a testament to the incredible faith, resilience and unshakable conviction of these communities. But that does not mean we can remain idle—far from it. ACN urges the international community not to look away and to act to ensure the protection of all religious communities in the Middle East.”

While urging governments to act, Bard reiterated that ACN will stand by its partners in Syria.

“We will continue to support the Christian community in Syria, as we have since the beginning of the war, including the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, with whom we have stood in the past and will continue to stand with now,” he said.

Nuri Kino of A Demand for Action, the Sweden-based humanitarian and advocacy organization he founded over 10 years ago to rally international support for Christians in Syria and Iraq targeted by ISIS for genocide, says the attack is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern in post-Assad Syria.

“It should be a wake-up call for the international community,” he said. “We are producing video clips and a report documenting atrocities against Christians after Assad’s fall, which will be distributed to governments that defend human rights. Our aim is to pressure the international community to ensure that financial aid given to Syria is conditional on the regime protecting the security and equal rights of Christians and all other citizens.”

As a major donor to Syria’s humanitarian recovery, Canada has leverage to tie funding to human rights protections. But so far, the Canadian government’s response has been muted, save for the usual diplomatic clichés

“Canada strongly condemns the terrorist attack at St. Elias Church in Damascus, which killed and injured civilians attending Mass on June 22, 2025. The targeting of civilians in a place of worship is deplorable,” said an email from the media relations team in response to a question posed to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. “Canada stands in solidarity with Syria’s Christian community and encourages the Syrian transitional authorities to work with partners to strengthen protections for all religious and ethnic minorities. Civilians must be protected, the dignity and human rights of all religious and ethnic groups must be upheld and perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Global Affairs has acknowledged that Syria’s security apparatus is under resourced and is not in full control of the country, as have others.

“The government’s military and security forces have not yet become organized under a central command and there is a power vacuum in that space,” said Ouhanes Shehrian, a Christian journalist based in Aleppo, Syria. “Different militias are in control of different parts of Syria, and this is a problem for the government.”

Although President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) coalition led the effort to topple Assad, it now governs amid deep internal fractures. Al-Sharaa has tried to distance his party from its Islamist roots and has made some gestures toward minority groups, but observers warn that extremist factions still exert influence across various regions.

Canada, the U.S. and the EU lifted sanctions on Syria after the fall of the Assad government, a move Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs praised as a hopeful step for the Syrian people. Canada pledged $84 million in new funding for humanitarian assistance and temporarily eased existing sanctions to support democratization, stabilization and aid delivery during this transitional period.

Unless the international community demands real reforms and enforces conditions tied to aid, Christian leaders fear a future where minority
communities are simply left to endure or vanish.

As one local priest said after the bombing, “We prayed for peace, and we thought it had come. But now we bury our dead and wonder if we were wrong to hope.” Without swift action, what remains of Syria’s Christian presence may not survive the peace.

Susan Korah is Ottawa correspondent for The Catholic Register, a Troy Media Editorial Content Provider Partner

Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.

MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Trump is done waiting on Putin. On Monday, he gave Russia 50 days to end the war in Ukraine or face 100% tariffs and sweeping secondary sanctions. It marks a sharp shift — combining economic pressure with a new NATO deal to rush U.S. weapons, including Patriot missiles, to the front lines.

Key Details:

• Speaking from the White House on Monday, Trump warned of 100% tariffs and sweeping secondary sanctions unless Putin agrees to a peace deal by the 50-day deadline. “We’re very, very unhappy,” Trump said, adding the penalties will hit not only Russia but any nation still trading with it.
• Trump also confirmed a NATO agreement to purchase U.S. weapons for immediate transfer to Ukraine, saying, “This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment… quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
• The announcement came as Russian forces claimed new ground in eastern Ukraine and launched record missile strikes. Ukrainian President Zelensky met with Trump’s envoy in Kyiv and thanked the president for “important signals of support.”

🚨 TRUMP JUST GAVE PUTIN AN ULTIMATUM:

50 DAYS to make a PEACE DEAL in Ukraine — or face ***100%*** TARIFFS. pic.twitter.com/CbX1cYRxd5

— MxM News (@mxmnews) July 14, 2025

Diving Deeper:

President Donald Trump on Monday made clear he’s done waiting. After months of warnings and diplomatic overtures to Moscow, the commander-in-chief delivered a direct ultimatum: end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or prepare for economic devastation. The deadline marks a dramatic shift in Trump’s posture — from seeking a deal to forcing one.

“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days — tariffs at about 100 percent,” Trump said during a press briefing with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. He described the measures as “secondary tariffs,” aimed at punishing countries still doing business with Russia, and vowed to collapse the economic lifelines keeping Moscow afloat.

The pivot comes as part of a broader strategy recalibration. Since returning to office in January, Trump had sought to fulfill his campaign promise of ending the war “in 24 hours” through direct diplomacy with Putin. That olive branch has now been snapped. Sources close to the administration say Trump’s frustration has grown sharply in recent weeks, especially after a wave of deadly Russian strikes left hundreds of Ukrainian civilians dead or wounded in June.

Rather than continuing to negotiate, Trump is now using American economic power and NATO’s military coordination to tighten the screws. On Monday, he also confirmed a new deal with NATO that will see the alliance buy advanced U.S. weaponry — including the powerful Patriot missile defense systems — and distribute them directly to Ukraine. “Massive numbers,” Rutte emphasized. Trump added that the weapons would be deployed “quickly” and said the U.S. would lead in helping Ukraine repel the increasing onslaught.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment going to NATO… and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield,” Trump said.

The shift is not just military — it’s diplomatic. Trump’s special envoy, Gen. Keith Kellogg, landed in Kyiv Monday and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In a statement after the meeting, Zelensky described the talks as “productive” and said they covered joint weapons production and expanded cooperation with European partners. He also thanked Trump for the “important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries.”

Zelensky’s praise underscores how much the relationship has changed. Just months ago, Trump and his team had sharply criticized Zelensky during a February Oval Office meeting, sparking concerns in Kyiv that the White House was preparing to withdraw support. Now, those fears appear to be replaced with a renewed sense of partnership — one rooted in hard power.

The announcement follows Trump’s Sunday pledge to send additional Patriot systems to Ukraine, reversing earlier plans to pause certain military shipments. The White House made that shift in response to Russia’s relentless missile and drone assaults, which have overwhelmed Ukrainian defenses and pushed civilian casualties to a three-year high, according to the UN.

That urgency is not lost on Trump — who, after months of offering an exit ramp, now appears ready to close it off entirely.