Syrian patriarch urges release of abducted nuns

Syrian patriarch urges release of abducted nuns

December 3rd, 2013 in News

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Opposition fighters abducted 12 nuns from a Christian village overrun by rebels, Syria's Greek Orthodox patriarch and the head of a convent said Tuesday, adding to fears that hard-line Muslim rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad were increasingly targeting Christians.

The nuns join two bishops and a priest who were previously kidnapped by rebels. Syria's minorities, including Christians, have mostly sided with Assad or remained neutral in Syria's civil war, fearing for their fate if the rebels, increasingly dominated by Islamic extremists, come to power. Christians have accused radicals among the rebels of abusing residents and vandalizing churches after taking Christian towns.

The nuns and three other women were seized Monday from the Greek Orthodox Mar Takla convent in the village of Maaloula and taken to the nearby rebel-held town of Yabroud, which also has a large Christian population, said Mother Superior Febronia Nabhan, head of the nearby Saidnaya Convent.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch John Yazigi made a fervent plea for the release of the women, as well as some two dozen orphans the nuns care for at the convent, although it could not be immediately confirmed that the children were also taken.

"We appeal to the seed of conscience that God planted in all humans, including the kidnappers, to release our sisters safely," he said in a statement.

"We call upon the international community and world governments to (help secure the) release of nuns of Mar Takla convent and the orphans who are being held since yesterday."

Nabhan told the Associated Press that the Maaloula convent's mother superior, Pelagia Sayaf, called her late Monday from Yabroud and said the nuns and the other women were all safe. She made no mention of the orphans.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists around the country, said the fate of the nuns is unknown, adding there were conflicting reports on whether they were taken to a nearby area or not.

The Observatory said it received information late Monday saying the nuns "are still alive." It gave no further details.