Pope Leo XIV said the terrorist attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus was “vile” during his Wednesday Audience at the Vatican.

Authorities say at least 25 people were killed on Sunday after a suicide bombing at the Church of the Prophet Elias, and dozens of people were injured. Syrian authorities say the so-called Islamic State (IS) is believed responsible for the attack.

“We entrust the victims to the mercy of God and raise our prayers for the injured and their families,” Leo said in St. Peter’s Square.

“To the Christians of the Middle East, I say: I am close to you. The whole Church is close to you! This tragic event recalls the profound fragility that still marks Syria, after years of conflict and instability,” the pope said.

“It is therefore essential that the international community does not turn its gaze away from this country, but continues to offer it support through gestures of solidarity and with a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation,” he said.

Leo said he is continuing to follow “with attention and hope” the developments of the situation in Iran, Israel and Palestine.

“The words of the prophet Isaiah resonate more urgently than ever: ‘Nation will not lift up sword against nation. They will not learn war anymore.’ Let us listen to this voice. Let us listen to this voice that comes from the Most High; let us heal the wounds caused by the bloody actions of the last days; let us reject every logic of arrogance and revenge and let us resolutely choose the path of dialogue, diplomacy and peace,” the pope said.

Christians in Syria are living in anxiety as the nation suffers after recent political changes happened over years of civil war. Sunni Islamists took over the country after they toppled President Bashar al-Assad last year. The new regime has promised to treat religious minorities well, but there have been many attacks on non-Sunnis, many of whom have been accused of supporting the Assad regime.

“I trusted them [the new government], but we didn’t see anything on the ground,” Bishop Moises Moussa El Khoury, an auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, told The National.

“We saw nothing in reality. Just talk, talk, talk. But we’re not asking for much – just provide security for people. That’s all we want. In my whole life, nothing like this has ever happened. I’ve been in Damascus since 1970, and never, not even once, have I seen anything like this,” he said.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch said in a statement: “The treacherous hand of evil struck this evening, claiming our lives, along with the lives of our loved ones who fell today as martyrs during the evening divine liturgy.”

The patriarchate called upon Syria’s authorities to “assume full responsibility for what has happened and continues to happen in terms of violation against the sanctity of churches, and to ensure the protection of all citizens.”

Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome