Priest and parishioners kidnapped in northern Syria

October 07, 2014

A Catholic priest and some of his parishioners have been abducted from a village in northern Syria, the Fides news service reports.

Father Hanna Jallouf, a Franciscan priest serving at a parish in Knayeh, was kidnapped along with about 20 others, said Bishop Georges Abou Khazen, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo. The abduction occurred on Sunday night, October 5.

“At the moment, we don't know who abducted them, whether they are jihadist groups or others,” the bishop said. He disclosed that a convent in the village had been ransacked after the kidnapping, and other residents of the Christian village were driven into hiding.

 

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Further information:

• Syria: parish priest abducted with some 20 Christians (Fides)