Scottish Catholic Observer

These latest killings add to the tally of people who have lost their lives in this ongoing conflict in Syria, which the Red Cross labeled a ‘civil war.’

A suicide bomber on Saturday also blew up his car killing a number of people in Muhrada, situated near to the village of Tremseh, where activists say government troops killed up to 200 people last Thursday.

United Nations observers are investigating what exactly happened in the village that day. Meanwhile, the Syrian government continues to insist this was a military operation against rebel fighters. While the UN continues to probe, there has been widespread condemnation of the killings. One of those voices is Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, who spoke of his alarm at this violence.

“I subscribe to what the Secretary General of the United Nations said that the inactivity of the United Nations could be understood as a permission to continue to kill, to commit atrocities,” he said. “Of course we must also be optimistic because at the end, God has in His hands the history, even if He permits that we are going through some difficulties.”

Archbishop Zenari (above) also urged the international community to do more to end the conflict. “The international community should hurry up and help Syria out of this hellish trap,” he said. “The        international community must try to speak with a single voice and stop Syria from falling off the precipice.”

After three weeks out of the country, the prelate returned to Syria only to find the situation had worsened since he had left.

“The situation is getting worse,” Archbishop Zenari said. “When I returned security was worse. It is no longer possible to move freely. Fighting and abductions are taking place in areas that were under control until recently.”