Television images showed widespread damage and bloodied members of the congregation being helped into ambulances. Officials said there had been hundreds of people at the church on Sunday morning. In the aftermath, rice and Bible pages littered the scene.
Read moreImagine if four of every 10 members of your church left in such a short period. That means a major loss for every congregation. That is the reality churches in Syria now face as the example from Damascus shows. People that have the financial means and the contacts abroad often leave the war-torn country.
Pastor Edward knows that in his church some members still are waiting for the opportunity to leave Syria, too. "They are still trying to find a place to go."
Read moreThe Christian sought help from local police but to no avail.
When he failed to come up with the money, several Muslims went to his home and shot him and his cousin to death.
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Read moreThe fighting came as President Barack Obama's administration pressed the U.S. Congress for its authorization of a military strike against the Assad regime, while the president arrived at a G-20 summit in Russia expected to be overshadowed by Syria.
The fighting in Maaloula, a scenic village of about 3,300 perched high in the mountains, began early Wednesday when militants from Jabhat al-Nusra stormed in after a suicide bomber struck an army checkpoint guarding the entrance.
Read moreWhat is your assessment of the so-called Arab Spring? Does it offer any hope-or reasons to worry?
Read moreHe said, 'Fortunately we were closed today (Wednesday), fearing such an attack, so none of our staff were injured. Similar incidents are taking place across the nation and to date 15 churches and 3 Christian schools have been attacked and some set on fire.'
Read moreThe ten-year-old was the pastor's niece. Her father Boulus told the BBC: "Jessi was everything to us. Her killers didn't know that Jessi was my life - my future. They killed our future...
I'm telling you in the West that your taxes and government money go towards supporting the killing here - by funding Islamist political parties."
Egyptian Christians have come under frequent attack since the uprising that led to Morsi's removal; they are being scapegoated for his fall.
Read morePope Tawadros was not the only religious leader who demanded change in Egypt, but his church is bearing the brunt. The Copts are increasingly fearful of meeting to worship: one of their number was recently kidnapped and beheaded in the Sinai.
Read more Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and All Russia at the recent celebration of the 1025th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.
The standard replies to views as one-sided as these are familiar. I took a different line, reminding my driver that overall, Christians - starting with more than a million church members butchered by government forces in Sudan - have endured far worse treatment from Muslims than vice versa in recent decades but have largely keep quiet about it.
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