On the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria, following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias church in Damascus

B100346/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria, following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias church in Damascus

(2025/2798(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

–having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 22 June, the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, during its official Sunday service, was the target of a terrorist attack which killed twenty-five people dead and injured over sixty, marking the deadliest attack on Syria’s Christian minority in years;

B.whereas according to the Syrian transitional authorities Daesh is responsible for the attack;

C.whereas freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right protected by international law and a cornerstone of democratic societies;

1.Strongly condemns the brutal suicide attack against the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church and its worshippers in Damascus; extends our deepest condolences to the families of the victims; calls on the Syrian authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice;

2.Stresses that seven months after Bashar al-Assad`s departure, religious and ethnic communities across Syria continue to be under threat;

3.Calls on the Syrian authorities to take all necessary steps to uphold freedom of religion and protect all communities, including Christians, Shia, Ismailis, Alawites, Yezidis, Kurds and Druze from persecution, discrimination and violence;

4.Recalls the widespread violence that erupted against Alawites in March and the deadly clashes between pro-Assad militants and Syrian security forces, as well as the attacks against several Druze neighbourhoods in Damascus;

5.Draws attention to the vulnerability of Christian communities in Syria, especially the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic, Chaldean and Maronite Churches; condemns the constant threats against Christian worshippers and religious sites, whose protection shall be guaranteed by the authorities; recalls the region`s rich historical heritage, in particular the Aramaic language and culture and Antioch`s and Damascus` enormous significance as cradles of Christianity;

6.Urges the Syrian authorities to acknowledge the suffering and pain that systematic violence and the recent attack have inflicted upon Christians across Syria;

7.Calls on the Syrian transitional government to safeguard the rights of all minorities and both promote inter-confessional relations and dialogue; stresses the importance of a People’s Assembly reflective of the country’s religious diversity;

8.Urges the Syrian authorities to intensify their efforts to combat Islamic terrorism, notably from Daesh and affiliated cells and any other active terrorist groups; calls on Syria`s neighbors to support the Syrian transitional government`s counterterrorism operations;

9.Emphasizes how the presence of terrorist groups in Syria severely undermines all efforts to establish a new and inclusive political, economic and societal architecture in Syria;

10.Underlines the importance of tackling radicalization, in particular in the Syrian Democratic Forces-controlled Al-Hol and Roj camps in North-Eastern Syria, as well as restoring effective government control over large swaths of the country; points out that this will be crucial to stabilize Syria;

11.Welcomes the call by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV “not to turn the gaze away from this country”;

12.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Commission, the Council and the Syrian transitional government.