Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East with Saudi Ambassador Walid Boukhari at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Balamand, northern Lebanon, on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Photo provided by our correspondent Michel Hallak.
Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X received the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Boukhari, on Saturday at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Balamand, northern Lebanon, where the ambassador offered his condolences following the June 22 bombing at Saint Elias Church in Damascus.
Ambassador Boukhari “expressed his condemnation of the massacre committed at Saint Elias Church [...] and extended his condolences for the martyrs, affirming his support for the patriarchate during this ordeal, which affects Christians as it does all components of Syrian society,” according to a statement issued by the office of Patriarch John X.
The attack left 25 dead and 63 injured. It was claimed a few days later by a little-known Syrian jihadist group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna (“Brigade of the Supporters of the Sunnis”). Syrian authorities, however, blamed the Islamic State group.
The patriarch, for his part, “thanked the ambassador for his sincere condolences” and praised “the central role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in promoting a culture of tolerance and openness toward all.” He also highlighted “the deep historical ties between the Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Wahhabi kingdom.” The meeting also addressed the general situation in Lebanon and Syria, and Saudi Arabia’s role in the region, according to the statement.
Patriarch John X later received Yiannis Loverdos, Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
