The Syrian Nightmare Continues: Islamist Rebels Target Christians and Churches
A Franciscan priest reports on the situation in Damascus and on the bloody confrontations in the Ghouta district that is in the hands of the jihadists, whose goal is to rid Damascus of its Christians.
Fr. Bahjat Elia Karakach is a Franciscan priest from the Custody of the Holy Land. He is also the superior of the convent of the Conversion of St. Paul that is the main parish of the Latin rite in the Syrian capital.
In an interview relayed by the Italian Catholic press agency SIR on March 2, 2018, the Franciscan reported on the civil war in the country.
In Damascus, the main target of the Muslim extremists – presented as rebels against the legitimate Syrian power – does not seem to be so much the buildings of the Bashar el-Assad administration as the Christian neighborhoods: “Missiles and mortar shells launched by the jihadist militants recently targeted the Christian neighborhood of Bab-Touma, in the old part of Damascus, where many churches and the headquarters of the patriarchate are located,” explained Fr. Karakach.
He added that after several months of bombing, “since the beginning of the year, four churches have been hit by the terrorists who wish to rid Damascus of its Christians.”
The faithful feel abandoned concluded the friar, because no one, “not even the Christian media, talks about what is happening in Damascus.”
Duly noted.
Sources: SIR / FSSPX.News – 3/6/2018
