ASIA/SYRIA - Masses for the release of all the hostages

Aleppo (Agenzia Fides) - A year after the kidnapping of the Armenian Catholic priest Mikael Kayal and the Syro-Orthodox priest Maher Mahfouz, which took place on February 9, 2013 on the road that from Aleppo leads to Damascus, many Masses were celebrated last Sunday in the churches in Aleppo, to beg the Lord for the gift of their release, along with that of all other Bishops, priests, religious men and women seized in the context of the conflict in Syria.
Prayers continue in spiritual communion in so many other parts of the world. In Rome, on Sunday, February 16, at 11am, even the community of the Pontifical Armenian College will gather in prayer in the Armenian Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino to celebrate Mass "with the intention of the liberation of our dear brothers", reads a note sent to Fides.
The two priests were kidnapped while they were traveling on a public bus, along with many other people. They were heading to the Salesian house in Kafrun, along with the Salesian priest, Fr. Charbel. Thirty kilometers from Aleppo, the vehicle was stopped by a band of rebels, who after checking the passengers’ documents, asked the two priests to get off and took them away immediately. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 13/02/2014)