Cardinal, Jesuits express concern about plight of priests in Syria
August 06, 2013
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, has joined the Jesuits of the Middle East in expressing concern about the fate of Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, an Italian Jesuit known for his criticism of the Assad regime’s human rights violations but now feared kidnapped by jihadist rebels.
According to the Fides news agency, Cardinal Sandri expressed his “closeness in prayer” to the Society of Jesus and recalled “the absolute silence that weighs on the fate of two [Orthodox] bishops and two priests kidnapped months ago, like many others, Syrian and foreigners, in the same painful condition.”
The Middle East’s Jesuits also noted that Father Frans van der Lugt is stranded in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, amid fighting between government and rebel forces.
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Further information:
- The Jesuits of the Middle East: "Deep concern" for Fr. Dall'Oglio and Fr. Frans van der Lugt (Fides)
- Uncertainty mounts about priest who disappeared in Syria (CWN, 7/31)
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