Syria: a Franciscan friar and some parishioners kidnapped
STATEMENT – On Tuesday October 7, the Custody of the Holy Land published a statement confirming that fr. Hanna Jallouf and several parishioners of Knayeh (Qunayeh) in Syria have been kidnapped on the night of October 5. Knayeh is a small Christian village located in the North of Syria, not far from the Turkish border. Franciscans have been there for more than a century.
The Custody of the Holy Land confirms that fr. Hanna JALLOUF OFM, of the Custody of the Holy Land, parish priest at Knayeh (Qunayeh), Syria, on the night of October 5th, was taken by some brigades linked to Jahbat Al-Nusra. Along with fr. Hanna, several men of the Christian village were also taken.
The Franciscan nuns who were in the convent have taken refuge in some houses of the village.
We are not able to say where father Hanna and his parishioners are now and, at this time, we have no possibility of contact with him or his captors.
Let us pray for him and for the other victims of this tragic and senseless war.
