Syria: seminary rector’s life in danger

July 04, 2013

Jihadist rebel forces in Syria “intend to eliminate” Father Daniel Maes, a Belgian priest who serves as a seminary rector, and use the fifth-century monastery where teaches as a military base, according to the Fides news agency.

Father Maes recently denounced the mass murder of Christians near the western Syrian city of Al-Qusayr.

“The surrounding Christian villages were destroyed and all the faithful who were caught were killed, according to a logic of sectarian hatred,” he recounted. “For decades, Christians and Muslims lived in peace in Syria. If criminal gangs can roam and terrorize civilians, is this not against international laws? Who will protect the innocent and ensure the future of this country?”

 

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Further information:

• A Catholic Belgian priest and a monastery are in the sights of the jihadists (Fides)