Syrian priest kidnapped by Islamic State: "Evil will never win"
SOURCE
In 2015, the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila was
celebrated. That same year, Fr. Jacques Mourad was abducted for 84 days
by the Islamic State in Raqqa, the capital of the self-proclaimed
Caliphate. During his captivity, this Syrian priest found consolation in
the words of the Spanish saint.
FR. JACQUES MOURAD
Syro-Catholic Priest
"One
night during the abduction I was trying to sleep. I was angry,
desperate ... I woke up singing "nothing troubles you, nothing scares
you" in Arabic. So spontaneously - I do not know how. I did not
understand anything at the time, but then I experienced a comfort and a
peace inside me that made me forget I was in that prison."
Each
day during his captivity he thought it would be his last of life. He
was held in inhumane conditions, along with 250 Christians from his
parish of Qaryatayn in Syria. However, he says that despite fear, he
experienced God at his side more than ever.
FR. JACQUES MOURAD
Syro-Catholic Priest
"That
was the miracle; that in the hardest and darkest moments, those with
noise, as St. Teresa says, God is still present. I remember that from
the first moment the jihadists entered the monastery and kidnapped me,
when they put me in the car and took me to the desert, I clearly felt
the presence of the Virgin Mary at my side.”
Despite
what he experienced, he says there are signs of hope on the horizon.
His monastery at Mar Elian was an open house until the jihadists blew it
up to eliminate any signs of Christianity. However, the most valuable
object managed to survive the bombs.
FR. JACQUES MOURAD
Syro-Catholic Priest
"I
discovered from a photograph that the relics the monastery guarded are
intact. It was a huge surprise. FLASH Knowing that the relics have not
disappeared has given me much courage and hope that one day I will be
able to return, God willing. Everyone together back to my parish that
has lost everything and whose houses have been destroyed. To rebuild our
village, the monastery and be a source of protection, comfort, courage
and a witness of faith, coexistence and collaboration between Muslims
and Christians in the region."
Fr.
Mourad has not yet been able to return to Syria. He lives in Iraqi
Kurdistan waiting to return and rebuild what acts of hatred took from
him.
FR. JACQUES MOURAD
Syro-Catholic Priest
"Evil will never win. Evil will end some day. The war is going to end and will end. We always live with that hope."
In
order to accomplish this, there must be action. The priest asked
Christians from the Western world not to turn a blind eye to the
suffering of Syrians or close their doors to those who are fleeing from
bombs. He calls for rulers to be honest, more humane and compassionate
in order to stop this war, that for six years has been targeting
Christianity.
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