Syria

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Suspected Islamic militants have freed Franciscan priest Dhiya Aziz, some two weeks after he was kidnapped in Syria, BosNewsLife learned early Tuesday, January 5.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS/LONDON/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- The Islamic State group, known for beheading Christian believers, has kidnapped at least 90 people from Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria, well-informed sources said Tuesday, February 24.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Syrian Christians and rights activists say Islamic militants have begun deploying rockets to target Christian sites, killing at least five young children this month alone. The announcement follows international concern about reports that rebel forces based on the outskirts of Damascus daily fire mortar shells at the capital, which is firmly under government control.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)— One of Syria’s most respected church leaders has condemned the destruction of an ancient Catholic monastery by the Islamic State (IS) group and expressed concern that hundreds of kidnapped people, many of them Christians, may have been killed and Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo Antoine Audo spoke hours after news emerged that IS had destroyed the monastery in the Syrian town of Qaryatain dating back to the 5th century after Christ, and is located in central Homs province.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Syrian Christians fear that a prominent priest has become the latest victim of ongoing kidnappings by Islamic militants, though dozens of believers were reportedly released by the Islamic State group on Christmas Day.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in war-torn Syria have marked one month since the kidnapping of two bishops near the Turkish border with a new appeal for their release, amid mounting concerns about the leaders' safety and health.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- One of the modern-day saints of the Middle East is Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of captivity and torture after being kidnapped by the al-Qaida terror group. During my Skype interview with him last year, I was startled at how surprisingly cheerful and relaxed he appeared when recalling his harrowing experiences.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service AMMAN, JORDAN (BosNewsLife)-- Preparations were underway in Jordan's capital Amman for "the first ever Christmas meal for Christian refugee children from Iraq and Syria" who have been "mostly ignored by Islamic charities," organizers said.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS (BosNewsLife)-- An Italian Jesuit priest who went missing in Syria several months ago is still alive, Christians involved in the case said Wednesday, October 2. Archdeacon Emanuel Youkhana of the Assyrian Church in the East told a gathering at the European Parliament that reports from inside Syria confirm that that "Father Paolo Dall’Oglio is alive".

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service and BosNewsLife's Chief International Correspondent Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of Christians have fled their homes in Syria where news emerged Tuesday, July 3, that intelligence agencies run dozens of torture centers where detainees are beaten with batons and cables, burned with acid, sexually assaulted, and have fingernails torn out.