Dutch Priest Who Saw Syria as Home Shot Dead in Homs
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Dutch priest Frans van der Lugt, who gained renown for his insistence on staying in Syria's besieged city of Homs, was shot dead there on Monday by a masked gunman.
His death was reported by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syria's state news agency SANA, and was confirmed by the Dutch Jesuit Order.
The motive for his murder was unclear, although Syria's main opposition bloc accused the regime of President Bashar Assad of being behind it.
Van der Lugt, 75, had become a well-known figure in the Old City of Homs, respected by many for his solidarity with residents of the rebel-held area under a government siege for nearly two years.
He refused to leave despite constant shelling and dwindling supplies, insisting Syria was his home and he wanted to be with the country's citizens in their time of need.
"I can confirm that he's been killed," Jan Stuyt, secretary of the Dutch Jesuit Order, told AFP by phone.
"A man came into his house, took him outside and shot him twice in the head. In the street in front of his house," he said, adding the priest would be buried in Syria "according to his wishes".
The opposition National Council said a "masked gunman" who also wounded Van der Lugt's guard from the rebel Free Syrian Army when he stormed the priest's Jesuit monastery and killed him.
Van der Lugt spent nearly five decades in Syria, and told AFP in February that he considered the country to be his home.
"The Syrian people have given me so much, so much kindness, inspiration and everything they have. If the Syrian people are suffering now, I want to share their pain and their difficulties," he said.
He stayed on even as some 1,400 people were evacuated during a U.N.-supervised operation that began on February 7 and also saw limited supplies of food brought into the city.
Government forces have besieged Homs's Old City for nearly two years, creating increasing dire circumstances for those unable to leave.
"The faces of people you see in the street are weak and yellow. Their bodies are weakened and have lost their strength," Van der Lugt said before the U.N. operation.
"What should we do, die of hunger?"
The siege and shelling whittled away the Old City's population, including a Christian community that shrunk from tens of thousands to just 66, according to the Dutch priest.
Father Frans arrived in Syria in 1966 after spending two years in Lebanon studying Arabic.
He lived in a Jesuit monastery, where he ministered remaining Christians and tried to help poor families -- Muslims and Christians alike.
"I don't see people as Muslims or Christian, I see a human being first and foremost," he told AFP in February.
The Vatican praised Van der Lugt as a "man of peace," and expressed "great pain" over his death.
"This is the death of a man of peace, who showed great courage in remaining loyal to the Syrian people despite an extremely risky and difficult situation," spokesman Federico Lombardi said.
"In this moment of great pain, we also express our great pride and gratitude at having had a brother who was so close to the suffering."
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans also mourned the priest on his Facebook page.
"The man that's brought nothing but good in Homs, who became a Syrian among Syrians and refused to leave his people in the lurch, even when things became life-threatening, has been murdered in a cowardly manner," he said.
"Father Frans deserves our thanks and our respect. He must be able to count on our contribution to help end this misery."
The office of Ahmad Jarba, the president of the opposition National Council, condemned the murder "in the strongest terms".
It said the Assad regime was "ultimately responsible for this crime, as the only beneficiary of Father Frans's death".
Assad himself was quoted as saying the "project of political Islam has failed" in Syria, where more than 150,000 people have been killed in a three-year conflict that has come to be dominated by Islamists, ranging from moderates to radicals.
07 April 2014, 17:56
84
RIP to this priest, this is what the takfiris wants, they just walked in this peaceful mans house, and shot him dead. This is the people you M14 support. When are you going to wake up?
07 April 2014, 18:47
54
This is what the regime wants to make it seem like their war is one of regime vs. takfiris. Long live the Syrian revolution...the testimony of the Maalula nuns is enough to shut down your fear mongering.
07 April 2014, 19:53
44
Enough taqiya shia takfiri. Are you blind? It was the FSA who was protecting him. Bashar dogs love to kill christians sometimes under their real baath face and sometimes as "unknown" armed men. The baath have killed many priests and christians in lebanon and syria. And unlike you taqiya liars, i and the rest of the Muslims actually feel sad for this senseless murder. I dont wish for anyone to be killed just so that i can tarnish bashars image however you demons would love it if every christian was killed as long as you could blame "takfiris". Scum of the earth, there is no other way to describe you guys. May Allah swt destroy those who killed this priest and may he expose them openly for all to see.
08 April 2014, 02:59
11
But Mystic, look at your avatar. You and FT do not believe in peaceful men. You admire those that were born to fight and die (ask SHN).
RIP to this peaceful man who could have lived in luxury in his home country but instead chose to devote his life to be with the poor.
07 April 2014, 17:58
85
just when syrians started to say no more dictatorship and no to poverty and corruption... sure FT we know your support to bashar and the happy few benefiting from the baath party.... so sh... up it is better for you.
07 April 2014, 18:21
56
funny he lived among those M8ers call cannibals but survived... assad takes the city and he is killed...
and M8ers do not even think a bit further than their hezbi propaganda... how laughable they are
07 April 2014, 18:52
45
The Maalula nuns' testimony is very damning to pro-regime goons who try to portray the war as one against "terrorists".
08 April 2014, 00:51
12
poor thing... you have no business but still you are answering...
you know why? you cannot stand one telling you the truth... you love the baath regime, your unconditional support for all bashar does only proves it...your posts are here for everyone to read but still in denial! LOL
now if you are in denial it only shows how sick you are and how desperately you need a shrink to tackle your brain issues and schizophrenia...
go and see momma, she'll comfort you with your favorite doll, sissy boy...
07 April 2014, 18:22
00
RIP father Frans
all countries ruled by a holly book is a stoneage country
secularisme and democracy and the rule of law are the way everything else is terrorism
07 April 2014, 18:34
65
texas, i love reading ur post, but please explain me why u keep losing ur time with the likes of ft, southern & mystic...
They dont care about this priest, or father Paolo, Maloula nuns, etc... All they want is to use the misery of those people to attack the rebels and thus praise Khamenei, Assad & NasrIran.
I'm pretty sure those idiots never heard of Father VDL until today...
They ignore as well that Assad barrel bombed and destroyed all the christian neighbourhood of Homs Aladimeh...
http://youtu.be/MhQHg6ivGPg
07 April 2014, 22:00
34
ft admitting again his love for the assads...
'your rebels have no cause'
http://youtu.be/1PDOaCCHx4U
that's their cause, may Allah give them victory soon incha'Allah.
This revolt didn't start for money, democracy but because assadis massacred innocent kids. And that bastard will pay for his murders.
In this life or the next one...
07 April 2014, 22:01
32
'terrorist ibin binladen, both at the same time!'
LOL what an ignorant...
07 April 2014, 18:39
65
ya ft ya khomeynist , christians have been in syria for centuries before Hafez and his damn dynasty, and will be there for other centuries incha'Allah...
Now explain us why since hafez took power christian and druze demographics are shrinking, minorities are emigrating en masse ?
Protector of minorities mooh heik ? Like in Zahle ?
07 April 2014, 18:46
35
a regime that has no care by dropping petrol barrel bombs that kill children also has no care of killing anyone else. Think about it.
07 April 2014, 19:28
42
So terrible how the Christians are being killed or manipulated so badly by both extreme ends. RIP Father, you're with the creator now, and happy to see someone there sees others as human beings and not as religious labels first.
07 April 2014, 19:48
53
Typical of Bashar's games trying to create fear about so called terrorists attacking christians...
07 April 2014, 19:59
53
Those who killed this priest, the humanitarian brother, peace loving good-doer - may they burn in hell. Shame on bashars dogs, you are the scum of the earth.
07 April 2014, 21:15
44
a brave regime that one! waw! they are the poor victims and FT cries for them like a good hezbi dog he is! bashar is a saint for M8ers now, only to suit their sectarian agenda....
ain't they funny and entertaining in their desperation!
08 April 2014, 00:32
12
Flamethrower, how much did they pay you to write all this in defence of the tyrant assads that have slaughtered not only christians but muslims as well? Do you think we have forgotten their so called protection of minorities by the use of rape, torture and murder? Who are you kidding? Are you even a real FPMer or are you only pretending to be one? I have never seen a FPMer be this supportive of the torturer Assad, they usually hate him but only prefer him over the other takfiris. Were lebanese soldiers that were kidnapped by the assad terror machine protected? Where are they now?
08 April 2014, 00:54
12
shhh mhammad: he keeps telling he is not supporting assad... he just has brain issues but won't admit it! assad never killed any kids unless they were cannibals, never killed any innocent people! he is a saint so don't dare say anything against bashar you'll upset the kid and his momma will have problems to make him go to sleep!
08 April 2014, 01:57
11
Nobody who dislikes bashar would go out of his way to defend him this much especially when he knows what he and his father did to minorities as well as to the majority in syria. Does he think that christians who spoke up against bashar (before or after the uprising) were spared or something? His stance is a joke. Bashar el2arnab only cares about his power, he could care less about minorities. Even alawites have been killed or tortured for being against bashar.
08 April 2014, 02:00
12
Thousands of men, women and children slaughtered = protection of minorities to the taqiya brigade. Those slaughtered victims could easily have been christians as what happened in zahleh and other places in lebanon. Samwe murderer, same logic. When the Assad slaughtered christians in lebanon they acted as if it was for protection against evil as well, have the LieCatcher forgotten this?
07 April 2014, 22:02
33
If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.
07 April 2014, 22:50
44
"stop using this unfortunate death of a priest for the sole purpose of promoting your propaganda"
isn't what YOU are doing? LOL
08 April 2014, 00:52
42
Al Qaeda sympathizer logic: The killing of the Dutch priest benefits the regime because it portrays FSA-Al Qaeda as terrorists (which they are), so the regime must have done it!
So since the chemical weapons attacks benefited the FSA-Al Qaeda jihadist terrorists by getting other countries involved and drawing sympathy to the rebels, then FSA-Al Qaeda committed the chemical weapon attack, yes?
08 April 2014, 05:49
10
That's what happens when one moves from a peaceful Christian country to an Islamic
Terrorist region. What a same.
