Eyewitness describes murder of Catholics in Syrian Christian village
September 13, 2013
A woman who witnessed the murder of three Catholics in Ma’loula, a Syrian Christian village attacked by jihadist Syrian rebels, provided the Fides news agency with details of their deaths.
Patriarch Grégoire III (Loutfi) Laham, the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, presided at their funeral liturgy in Damascus.
The rebels entered “many homes of civilians on September 7, destroying and terrorizing people, damaging all the sacred images,” Fides reported. “In one house there were three Greek Catholic men: Mikhael Taalab, his cousin Antoun Taalab, Sarkis el Zakhm, Mikhael’s grandson, and the woman A., their relative, who says what happened.”
“The Islamists warned everyone present to convert to Islam,” the report continued. “Sarkis answered clearly, ‘I am a Christian, and if you want to kill me because I am a Christian, do it.’ The young man together with the other two was killed cold bloodedly. The woman was injured and was saved by a miracle, later taken to [a] hospital in Damascus.”
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Further information:
- Maalula, land of martyrs: death in odium fidei of the young Sarkis (Fides)
- Witnesses report desecrations, forced conversion to Islam in Syrian Christian village (CWN, 9/12)
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Posted by: St.John Neumann -
Sep. 13, 2013 7:00 PM ET USA
When will people come to understand that the cultural elites who control are nation are subject to the same satanic influences of those who murder innocent Christians. There leader, our president, is the same person who said "God bless Planned Parenthood," a more horrible version of "murder incorporated." Pope Francis not withstanding, most of the people are not open to dialogue. I know this from personal experience teaching at Hofstra U. They have their religion, we have Jesus Christ.
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Sep. 13, 2013 6:14 PM ET USA
There will be no statement from the president of the US since he is now officially an ally of these murderers. There is simply no other word to describe someone who aids in any way a fighting force. Obama has ordered the CIA to arm rebel forces and who believes the president or anyone else can prevent those new weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists like those in Ma’loula?
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Posted by: jacquebquique5708 -
Sep. 13, 2013 12:54 PM ET USA
When you say "killed", then you mean "beheaded". The Patriarch of Antioch, Gregory III, should be believed and supported. There should have been an immediate statement from the American government in regard to this incident. The good people of Ma'loula have to be terrified.
