BY Ian Dunn | July 30 | 
0 COMMENTS 
print
Italian Jesuit priest and peace activist kidnapped in Syria
Nuncio to Syria said the reported kidnapping of Fr Paolo Dall’Oglio is unconfirmed but would be a sad continuation of a vicious circle of abduction in the conflict-torn country
Al Qaeda-linked fighters in Syria are reported to have abducted an Italian priest who is known for his peace activism and his outspoken views against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports from Syria suggest that Jesuit Fr Paolo Dall’Oglio (above), who has often expressed his opinion championing the anti-government uprising on Vatican Radio, was kidnapped yesterday in the rebel-held Eastern city of Raqqa.
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s nuncio to Syria, said he has no official confirmation of Fr Dall’Oglio’s abduction and did not even know the priest was in Syria at the time. The archbishop added the reported kidnapping is a sad event, part of a continuing ‘Via Crucis’ of kidnappings and that, with every day that goes by, the conflict is like a bundle of wool that gets more and more tangled.
The archbishop added that there had been too many abductions, recalling the abduction of two orthodox bishops who were kidnapped three months ago, of two priests—one Catholic the other Orthodox—and of the hundreds and hundreds of kidnappings of both Syrians and foreigners, some for political reasons, others for economic gain.
Regarding the figure and the personality of Fr Dall’Oglio, Archbishop Zenari said that the Jesuits work to promote Christian/Muslim dialogue has been fruitful. He also spoke of what he calls the ‘beautiful intuition that led him to found the monastic community of Deir Mar Musa that attracted people, especially young people, from all over the world.’
The archbishop went on to say that Fr Dall’Oglio is a person who really loves Syria, and who in recent times has expressed personal opinions regarding the situation that not everyone agrees with. He stressed, however: “Fr Dall’Oglio is a good Jesuit priest and a very capable man.”
Archbishop Zenari also stressed their were many, many victims in Syria and that according to UN statistics some 5000 people are killed every month and every day 6000 people are forced to flee their homes.
RSS Feeds