Six years and still no sign
of Jesuit Fr. Dall’Oglio, kidnapped in Syria
 |
| File photo of Jesuit Father Paolo Dall'Oglio |
An Italian association holds a press conference to remind
the world about the abduction of Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio, who like so many others
disappeared in Syria during the so-called Islamic State’s reign of terror.
By Devin Watkins
Six years ago Monday, on 29 July 2013, Jesuit Father Paolo
Dall’Oglio was kidnapped in the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa.
The area was controlled by the so-called Islamic State at
the time, and witnesses said the Italian missionary was abducted while walking
in the city.
No credible news has been heard of his whereabouts since.
Love for neighbor
On Monday, the Association of the Friends of Father Paolo
Dall’Oglio held a press conference in Rome to keep alive the memory of his
tragic disappearance.
Fr. Dall’Oglio’s sister, Francesca, spoke to Vatican Radio
about her brother.
“Paolo is my idea of someone who has always searched to give
meaning to his life, and to be upright and bear witness to love of neighbor,”
she said.
He found that love living and incarnated, she noted, in
relations between Christians and Muslims.
Fate of the missing
The missing Jesuit’s sister also expressed her appreciation
for Pope Francis’ recent letter to Syria’s President Bashar
al-Assad.
In one section, the Pope urges the Syrian government to
allow families to access information regarding the fate of their loved ones.
Francesca Dall’Oglio said the Holy Father’s strong message
shows that the international community needs to be constantly reminded of
Syria’s drawn-out conflict and its dire consequences.
A heart for interreligious dialogue
Fr. Dall’Oglio was heavily involved in interreligious
dialogue and reconciliation.
One of his pet projects was the transformation of a 6th century
monastery near Damascus into an inter-faith cultural center.
He spent 30 years at the Monastery of Saint Moses the
Abyssinian (Deir Mar Musa), helping restore the complex and its ancient Syriac art.
It is in this place of encounter and prayer, where Muslims
and Christians meet in peace, that a part of Fr. Dall’Oglio’s legacy lives on.
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