'It's truly a miracle' – kidnapped Syrian
priest escapes from Islamic State, 15 Octombrie 2015
Cum opereaza, sau modul de operare al rapitorilor : mai jos un articol in
limba engleza si unul in limba franceza !
“Almost every day there was
someone who came to my prison and asked me ‘what are you?’
“I would answer: ‘I’m a Nazarene, in other words, a Christian.’
“‘So you’re an infidel,’ they shouted.
‘Since you’re a Christian, if you don't convert we’ll slit your throat with a
knife’.”
.- A Syrian priest
who was captured by Islamic State militants in May thought he would die for his
faith. Now, he credits the Virgin Mary and the help of a Muslim friend for his
escape.
“This is the miracle the Good Lord gave me: while I was a
prisoner I was waiting for the day I would die, but with a great inner peace. I
had no problem dying for the name of Our Lord; I wouldn't be the first or the
last, just one of the thousands of the martyrs for Christ,” the Syriac Catholic
priest, Father Jacques Mourad, told Italian TV 2000.
“I want to thank all those who prayed for my liberation.
It's truly a miracle that a priest has been freed from the hands of the Islamic
State. A miracle that the Virgin Mary worked for me.”
Father Mourad was prior of the Monastery of Mar Elian in
the Syrian town of Al Qaryatayn , about 60 miles
southeast of Homs
He said he was captured with another young man on May 21 after
the militants arrived at the monastery.
“The first four days we were in the mountains, locked up
in the monastery's car we were captured in,” he said. “On Aug. 11 we were taken
to near Palmyra , where there are 250 other
Christian prisoners from the city of Al
Qaryatayn
The Islamic State had captured Al
Quaryatayn Aug. 6. Only around 30 Christians were able to escape the
town for Homs
Father Mourad that his captors regularly asked him to
declare his faith.
“Almost every day there was someone who came
to my prison and asked me ‘what are you?’
“I
would answer: ‘I’m a Nazarene, in other words, a Christian.’
“‘So you’re an infidel,’ they shouted. ‘Since you’re a
Christian, if you don't convert we’ll slit your throat with a knife’.”
Despite the threats, the priest refused to renounce
Christ.
Father Mourad said he wore a disguise in order to escape.
“I escaped on a motorbike with the help of a Muslim friend.
But now I'm working with an Orthodox priest and other Bedouin friends and a
Muslim friend to free the 200 other Christians who are still imprisoned,” he
said.
According to the priest, 40 other Christians were able to
escape the same day as his interview with Italian television.
On Oct. 10 Father Mourad celebrated his first Mass since his
release, Agence France
The priest was also pastor of a parish in Al Qaryatayn,
where he served as an active mediator between the Syrian army and rebel forces
in their years-long civil war, Fides news agency said.
The Monastery of Mar Elian dated back 1,600 years and was the
subject of restoration work in recent decades.
It provided refuge to hundreds of Syrians displaced from
Al Qaryatayn, partnering with Muslim donors to provide for their needs.
However, Islamic State militants destroyed the
monastery in August.
Since
the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, more than 250,000 people have been
killed. Four million have become refugees, and another 8 million Syrians are
believed to have been internally displaced by the violence.”
Sursa :
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/its-truly-a-miracle-kidnapped-syrian-priest-escapes-from-islamic-state-33394/
*****
"Le Père Jacques
Mourad est vivant et va bien"
Terrasanta.net | 13 octombrie 2015
"Père Jacques est vivant." Mgr. George
Abu Khazen, vicaire apostolique latin d'Alep, en Syrie, nous confirme que le
Père Jacques Mourad, prêtre de rite syriaque catholique et prieur du monastère
de Mar Elian, kidnappé par des terroristes islamistes le 21 mai dernier, va
bien.
Selon l'évêque, le père Jacques était encore hier à
Qaryatain, la ville où il avait été enlevé il y a cinq mois. Hier, cependant,
il aurait été vu à Zaydal, ville située à une centaine de kilomètres de
Qaryatain, où il aurait célébré la messe. Le Nonce apostolique en Syrie, Mgr.
Mario Zenari a confirmé à Radio Vatican avoir entendu par téléphone le père
Jacques; il l'a trouvé en bonnes conditions. La ville de Zaydal, près de Homs,
accueille une grande communauté chrétienne. Quand en mai dernier les
terroristes de l'Etat islamique avait conquis Qaryatain, des centaines de
chrétiens avaient alors trouvé refuge dans cette ville. Il n'est donc pas
surprenant que le Père Jacques, une fois libéré, s'y soit rendu.
Père Jacques a été pendant des années prieur du monastère
de Mar Elian, près du village de Qaryatayn; un monastère datant de plus de 1500
années et qui est l'un des plus anciens lieux de culte chrétien en Syrie. En août,
les images de la destruction de ce monastère par les miliciens de l'Etat
islamique au volant de gros bulldozers ont fait le tour du monde, provoquant la
colère de la communauté internationale.
Au cours de ces années de guerre, père Jacques avait tenu
les portes du monastère ouvertes à toute personne en demande d'aide et de
solidarité, chrétien comme musulman, accueillir jusqu'à des centaines de
personnes dans le besoin.
Père Jacques avait été enlevé en mai, peu de temps après que l'Etat
islamique ait saisit la ville de Palmyre, célèbre pour son site archéologique
non loin de Qaryatain. Quand le prêtre avait enlevé il se déplaçait dans une
voiture non loin du monastère. Sa voiture avait été approchée par une moto et
des hommes armés, sommant au religieux de s'arrêter. Les individus avaient
alors grimpé dans la voiture et emporté le père Jaques.
SURSA :
http://www.terrasanta.net/tsx/articolo.jsp?wi_number=7855&wi_codseq=%20%20%20%20%20%20&language=fr&utm_content=buffer99681&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
