resolution motion, 7 July 2025
On the urgent need to protect religious minorities in Syria following the recent terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus
Motion B-10-2025-0338 · (2025/2798(RSP))
on behalf of the ESN Group · Rapporteur: Tomasz Froelich, Petr Bystron, Alexander Sell, Marc Jongen
AI:In short
This resolution condemns the terrorist attack on Christians at Mar Elias Church in Damascus and expresses concern about the systematic targeting of religious minorities in Syria. It insists that EU-Syria relations and financial assistance depend on visible progress in protecting religious minorities and cooperating on readmission of Syrian migrants.
Key points
- Strongly condemns the terrorist Jihadist attack on Christians in the Mar Elias Church.
- Worried that under the Syrian Transitional Government, Christian communities and other religious minorities are increasingly and systematically targeted by violent Islamist factions.
- Considers that the ideological and religious basis of violence is deeply entrenched and that groups in power emerged from transnational jihadist networks.
- Considers that the inaction of the Syrian regime against provocations and intimidations led to the attack.
- Worried that insecurity and fear will intensify the exodus of Christians from Syria, erasing one of the most ancient expressions of Christianity.
- Insists that treatment of religious minorities and cooperation on readmission of Syrian migrants are the litmus test for EU-Syria relations; financial assistance is conditional on visible progress.
Who is affected
- Christians and other religious minorities in Syria, who face violence and intimidation.
- The Syrian Transitional Government, which is urged to protect minorities and cooperate on readmission.
- The EU and its member states, which must condition financial assistance on progress.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Text 17 paragraphs
B100338/2025
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 Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas on 22 June 2025, an Islamist suicide bomber killed at least 25 Christians at prayer in the Greek Orthodox Church of Mar Elias in Damascus; whereas the jihadist group Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna has claimed responsibility for this terrorist attack;
B.whereas there is an extension of targeting of religious minorities that began with the massacre of Alawite civilians in March 2025, followed by a surge in violence against Syria’s Druze and Christian religious communities;
C.whereas a recent Reuters’ investigative report identified a chain of command leading from the March massacres of Syrian Alawites directly to persons, connected to the Syrian regime;
D.whereas Syria’s Christian population, which in the 1920s represented 30 % of the country’s total population, is now estimated to be just 2-3 %;
E.whereas following the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria, the EU announced on 4 June 2025 a EUR 175 million package to support Syria’s social and economic recovery, also aiming at the promotion of transitional justice, accountability and human rights;
1.Strongly condemns the terrorist Jihadist attack on Christians in the Mar Elias Church;
2.Is worried that under the Syrian Transitional Government, Christian communities and other religious minorities are increasingly and systematically targeted by violent Islamist factions;
Read the rest (5 paragraphs)
3.Considers that the ideological and religious basis of violence against religious minorities in Syria is deeply entrenched and that the groups in power have emerged from transnational jihadist networks;
4.Considers that the inaction of the Syrian regime against the systematic public provocations and intimidations of Christians have led to the terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church;
5.Is worried that the widespread sense of insecurity, the growing fear of identity-based killings and the rise of extremist Islamic groups will intensify the exodus of Christians from Syria, as seen in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestinian territories; considers that the erasure of Christians in Syria is not only a humanitarian tragedy but would also mark the end of one of the most ancient expressions of Christianity;
6.Insists that the treatment of Christians and other religious minorities as well as cooperation in the field of readmission of Syrian migrants is the litmus test for the relationship between the EU and Syria; emphasises that financial assistance is made conditional on visible progress in these areas;
7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the transitional government of Syria and the UN’s Special Envoy for Syria.