Syriac Catholic priest Father Jacques Mourad was kidnapped in Syria’s Homs governorate along with a colleague, NGO l’Oeuvre d’Orient told AFP Friday.
“The priest was kidnapped by three masked people in the early afternoon at his Mar Elian Monastery in Qaryatayn, while he was preparing to welcome an expected influx of refugees from Palmyra,” said the NGO, which works to support Christians in the Middle East.
The UK-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the kidnapping, saying that “two men, at least one of them a priest,” were kidnapped near the town of Qaryatayn.
According to the NGO, Mourad worked to encourage interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
As of Thursday, militant extremist group Daesh had nearly taken full control of Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra following fierce clashes that left hundreds dead.
