The world - all of us - must pay attention to what is happening and come to their aid.
ISIS has killed the first Christians who are being held hostage in the governorate of Hassake in Syri, on the northeastern border with Iraq. The Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana, who reported the abduction last Monday, informed Aid to the Church in Need (a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church, supporting the Catholic faithful and other Christians where they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need) that 15 of the hostages have been killed. “Many of them were fighting to defend and protect the villages and families,” Youkhana says.
In the village of Tel Hormizd one woman has been beheaded and two men were shot. There is currently no information about who the other executed captives are.
Archimandrite Youkhana informs that at least 350 people have been captured by IS. In addition to the fighters mentioned above 81 people were seized from Tel Jazira, 21 from Tel Gouran, five from Tel Feytha and three from Qabir Shamiya. All of the above are being held in the Arab Sunni village of Um Al-Masamier.
Also, 51 families from the village of Tel Shamiram have been taken – Archimandrite Youkhana adds: “The average is five persons per family”.He added that there was no news about where the families were being held: “Most probably they have been captured and transported to Mount Abdul Aziz, a nearby region controlled by IS.”
Another source says there was an unconfirmed report that the mosque in the Arab Sunni village of Bab Alfaraj had called on people to attend “a mass killing of infidels” at Mount Abdul Aziz on 27 February. - Source
Prayer to Our Lady of Ransom
O God, Who by means of the most glorious
Mother of Thy Son
was pleased to give new children to Thy Church
for the deliverance of Christ's faithful
from the power of the heathen;
grant, we beseech Thee,
that we who love and honor her as the foundress
of so great a work
may, by her merits and intercession,
be ourselves delivered from all sin
and from the bondage of the evil one.
Through the same Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Elizabeth Scalia on Pathos has an excellent blog post on the current wave of innocent Christians being led to the slaughter.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/theanchoress/2015/02/24/isis-takes-more-christian-hostages-seals-its-doomed-fate/
After I read it, I have so many emotions as I feel so helpless but remain determined to continue to pray and donate as best as I can to the refugees, especially the children and the elderly. Too many are suffering.
Woe to those men and women who are seeking destruction in God's holy name. There is a reason why our Lord Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies. After reading Elizabeth's post, I understand a little more as to why they need prayer.
Desolation (for all eternity) must be sheer hell indeed.