Vatican confirms Catholic priest Father Francois Murad killed in Syria

Ana Ghoib Syeikh Malaya 3:18 PTG
By Mahadzira Al Baqi Credit photo: Telegraph UK

[pullquote_left]Priest 'beheaded' in Syria video actually 'shot dead'

A Catholic priest has been shot and killed in northern Syria, The Telegraph has found, contradicting claims that he is the victim in a widely-circulated beheading video actually was shoot in Russia. [/pullquote_left]A Syrian Roman Catholic priest was killed in northern Syria last month, the Vatican has confirmed. A statement said the circumstances of Father Francois Murad's death were "not fully understood", but that it happened on 23 June in the convent of the Custody of the Holy Land in Ghassaniya.
Father Pizzaballa, a colleague in the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, to which Father Francois belonged, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that none of their priests were the victims in the video. "None of our priests have died in this manner. All our priests are alive. Reading the reports circulating in the media I conclude that they have mixed up events," he said.

The Franciscan took refuge there after the monastery of St Simon was bombed. Some initial reports said Fr Murad was beheaded by jihadist militants, but activists now say that he was shot. The beheading claims were based on a video posted online at around the same time that appears to show two prisoners being executed by rebels. The video's title referred to the killing of a priest and a bishop, but none of the victims can be identified and none of those featured in the video refer to such an event. After analysing the footage, local activists and Human Rights Watch said it was most likely filmed in a different location several months before Fr Murad was killed. Instead, he "died when he was shot inside his church" in Ghassaniya, three separate local sources told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. The Custody of the Holy Land, a Franciscan order which is the official custodian of religious sites in the Middle East, had also issued a statement two days after Fr Murad's death saying Islamists shot him. "Islamists attacked the monastery, ransacking it and destroying everything," it said. "When Father Francois tried to resist, defending the nuns, rebels shot him." report BBC News. Note: The Catholic Franciscan order is the official custodian of religious sites in the Middle East. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0FHdpDPNu-k