Scottish Catholic Observer

After the Angelus on Sunday, the Pope remembered Italian Jesuit priest Fr Paolo Dall’Oglio who was kidnapped in the Syrian city of Raqqa almost two years ago on July 29, 2013.

Fr Dall’Oglio worked in Syria for over 30 years and was renowned for his work promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue in the Middle East and support for the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. During the time of his abduction, Fr Dall’Oglio was restoring an ancient monastery in the desert and refused to leave Syria despite the start of the civil war.

Around the same time as Father Dall’Oglio’s abduction, Archbishops Boulos Yazigi and Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Greek and Syriac churches in Aleppo were kidnapped near the Turkish border when trying to negotiate the release of two abducted priests. The Pope remembered the three hostages and called for a ‘renewed commitment’ from regional and international authorities.

The Holy Father also opened up registration on Sunday to the World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow next year.

Joined by two young people from his traditional window overlooking St Peter’s Square, the Pope signed himself up on a tablet and invited young Catholics worldwide to join him in Krakow from July 25-31 next year. The launch was also marked in Krakow.

—This story ran in full in the July 31 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.