Fears over possible kidnap of Jesuit Fr. Dall'Oglio. Damascus Nunciature in shock
Damascus (AsiaNews) - Shock, surprise and caution abound
in the Vatican Nunciature in Damascus following reports - yet to be confirmed -
of the kidnapping of the Jesuit Fr. Paolo dall'Oglio (see photo).
"Usually,
when he is in Syria, we speak over the phone - Nuncio Msgr. Mario Zenari tells
AsiaNews. "So far I haven't heard from him at all. I only learned the news this
morning and I am shocked. We will have to wait to see if it is true" .
The
Italian Foreign Ministry is also checking the news.
According to some agencies, Fr.
Paolo
entered Syria through the north, in an area controlled by the rebels and was
kidnapped in Raqqa, by fundamentalist groups, part of the group for the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant, enemies of Assad.
"I'm
surprised - adds the nuncio - that this happened to him. He is known in those
areas, and enjoys some respect in rebel held areas."
Since 1982, the Roman born Jesuit of 58 has worked for
the restoration of Catholic monastery Mar Musa (Monastery of Saint Moses the
Abyssinian), in the desert north of the Syrian capital, establishing a monastic
community open to dialogue with Islam . At
the outbreak of the so-called "Arab Spring" in Damascus, Fr. Dall'Oglio
took a position that was critical of the Assad regime and so, in 2011, Damascus
decreed his expulsion, which took place later in 2012. Since leaving the Country, Fr. Dall'Oglio
has often returned to the north controlled by the Syrian rebels.
Archbishop
Zenari pushes for caution: "Here in Syria news has often been reported
that has later been proven false or inaccurate, such as the reports of three
monks having been beheaded, they were not monks, or reports of the release of
the two Orthodox bishops, also proven false."
"In
the end - said the nuncio - nothing really surprises us anymore here in Syria,
given the chaos that reigns. Earlier the situation was clear enough, but now is
very complicated and the conflict has become incredibly interwoven. What
is really shocking is the suffering of the poor, human rights violations. We must try to understand the intentions of
all parties involved, how they move, who is behind what, who is most in the right
and who in the wrong and what their main aim is. This is an immense task, and in the meantime
the country is falling apart and we can no longer see a light at the end of the
tunnel. "
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