Agenzia Fides

Aleppo (Fides News Agency) – The Catholic church in Syria, its various communities and bodies, does not pay ransom for its kidnapped faithful and never will. While calling on the international community to help put an end to the inhuman practice of all hostage taking in their country, Syrian Catholics urge Christians world wide to offer prayers and spiritual sacrifices for the release of the victims. Fides Agency learned this from reliable local Catholic Church sources, which made it clear that any sort of "release campaign" for kidnapped persons (at present two priests are in the hands of kidnappers) is purely spiritual and in no way entails fund collecting. In a message to Fides Incarnate Word missionary Father Alberto Barattero, underlined that the members of his fraternity do not engage in "fundraising" for the release of hostages, but they are committed to providing assistance to all families, Christian and non Christian, suffering from hardship and homelessness because of the situation of war. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 18/2/2013)