Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, June 24, 2025
Photo: timotheosntumba.blogspot.com
Unknown assailants burned down a medical clinic operated by the Patriarchate of Alexandria’s Diocese of Goma, destroying a facility that was ready to begin serving the besieged population of eastern Congo.
Bishop Timothy of Goma announced the attack in a statement released Monday, revealing that the clinic adjacent to the Church of St. Paisios was torched while the diocese’s faithful were attending Divine Liturgy at the Parish of St. Nektarios, located 10 miles away.
The Diocese of Goma has been operating under extreme duress since M23 rebels seized control of the city of Goma on January 27. The rebels now control the entire city and its surroundings, home to more than 2 million people.
The destroyed clinic represented a critical healthcare resource for the suffering population. Bp. Timothy stated that the facility was fully prepared to begin operations, with diocesan leadership having met with doctors just a week prior to finalize equipment lists for the Orthodox medical center.
Photo: timotheosntumba.blogspot.com “The clinic was already ready to operate,” the bishop stated. “We had met with the doctors to give us a list of all the equipment needed to start the operation of the Orthodox clinic, even gradually, to relieve the suffering of the population.”
The attack had devastating personal consequences for one Christian family who had been sheltering in the clinic. “One of our Christians, his wife and their two children had been sleeping in the clinic for a month because they had nowhere to stay due to the situation,” Bp. Timothy explained. When the family returned from the morning Liturgy, “the faithful man’s wife saw the fire that the impious ones had set in the clinic and fainted.”
The fire did not spread to the adjacent Church of St. Paisios or the monastery under construction, as the buildings aren’t connected.
Despite the dangers, Bp. Timothy and his clergy have refused to abandon their flocks. They remain in Goma, celebrating the Divine Liturgy under dangerous conditions while continuing to minister to their flock.
“Christians are being persecuted and this saddens us. But this is not enough. We must also mobilize,” Bp. Timothy declared in his statement, which concluded with a plea: “Pray for us!”
The statement was issued by the “war-torn Holy Diocese of Gomas and Great Kivu,” underscoring the dire circumstances facing the Orthodox community in eastern Congo.
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