Reverend missing; activists suspect kidnapping

Reverend Paolo Dall'Oglio.
(Photo courtesy of VOMC/Flickr /veDro - l'Italia al futuro)

Syria (MNN/VOMC) ― Rev. Paolo Dall’Oglio is still missing two weeks after his disconcerting disappearance in Syria.

Dall’Oglio, an Italian Jesuit priest, was last heard from on Monday, July 29th. Activists in the region speculate he may have been kidnapped by Syrian rebel forces linked to al-Qaeda.

Rev. Paolo Dall'Oglio spent three decades in Syria before the government deported him last year for helping victims of President Bashar al-Assad's military crackdown, according to Voice of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC) source, Assist News Service. He re-entered the country in late July.

A source close to Dall’Oglio got an e-mail from him on July 26. The reverend wrote in the e-mail that he would be travelling to assist “difficult mediation,” according to the Religion News Service. The Christian Post says the source suggested, “It is possible the priest purposely went off the grid in Raqqa to help mediate the release of two hostages being held by Islamic rebels.”

The reverend's disappearance comes three months after the kidnapping of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo in April. According to VOMC, these reflect the dangers Christians are still facing in this war-torn country.

Paul Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church and Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church were kidnapped near the village of Kafr Dael on April 22nd while returning from the Turkish border on a humanitarian relief trip. The abduction happened on the road to Aleppo from the rebel-held Bab al Hawa Province, where gunmen intercepted their vehicle and killed the driver.

The fate of both clergymen is still unknown.

According to the United Nations, Syrian Christians have been vulnerable since the beginning of the civil war in 2011 which has left more than 100,000 people dead. Reportedly hundreds of believers have been kidnapped since hostilities began in 2011, and thousands more have fled the country. Many have crossed over into Lebanon or Turkey where they await legal or illegal means to reach Europe and obtain political asylum.
VOMC asks for prayer that the Lord would be a shield to the multitudes of innocent people who are caught in the cross fire between the forces of good and evil. Ask for His divine protection and strength to be upon all of His faithful servants who are boldly taking a stand for righteousness.

Released Christian finds kids missing

Kids of wrongfully imprisoned
 Christian father are missing. (Photo
 courtesy of Colleen Taugher)

Ethiopia (MNN) ― Tamirat Woldegorgis, a Christian in southern Ethiopia falsely accused of desecrating a Qur’an, has just been released after serving two of his three sentenced years in prison.

However, Tamirat has lost more than just two years of his life in prison. Due to cramped and harsh conditions, one of his legs is now paralyzed.

Furthermore, when he returned home, Tamirat discovered that his two children, ages 6 and 15, are missing.

"I have been trying to locate my children, but all in vain," says Tamirat. "My life is ruined--I have lost my house, my children, my health. I am now homeless, and I am limping."

According to Voice of the Martyrs, Canada’s source Compass Direct News, Tamirat is staying with a friend in an undisclosed town. Tamirat believes Muslims from his area may have taken his kids to restrict his influence.

Tamirat used to work in a cloth-making business before his arrest. When Tamirat was arrested back in August 2010, it was because his co-worker found that Tamirat had written “Jesus is Lord” on a piece of cloth.

Tamirat’s co-worker further accused him of writing “Jesus is Lord” in the cover of a Qur’an, but with no evidence. But Tamirat was still sentenced to three years in prison on November 18, 2010 for desecration of a Qur’an, a serious offense according to Muslim Shariah law.

Ethiopia is nearly 35% Muslim. Jijiga, the town where Tamirat was imprisoned, is the capitol of Ethiopia’s Somali Region Zone Five, which follows Shariah principles.

Persecution of Christians in Ethiopia is only getting worse. Ethiopia moved up to #38 on the World Watch List of countries with the worst Christian persecution, where last year it was #43.

Pray for the safety and salvation of Tamirat’s children, and for reunion with their father. Pray for courage among persecuted Ethiopian Christians and for the spread of the Gospel there.