A Catholic Archbishop in Syria who was kidnapped and tortured by ISIS, but still speaks in favour of inter-faith dialogue and harmony, has been awarded the St John Paul II Award at a special ceremony on the Vatican.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad, Metropolitan of Homs in Syria, was kidnapped by ISIS in 2015 and held by the terrorist group for five months. During his time in captivity, Mourad was tortured and subjected to a mock execution, Vatican News reports.
Despite intense pressure from his captors, Mourad never renounced his faith in Christ. After being released he spoke tirelessly in favour of reconciliation in a rustic that has been torn apart by sectarian violence for over a decade.
Following the autumn of Bashar al-Assad late last 12 months, the brand new government has struggled to maintain the peace between the country’s quite a few religious and ethnic groups.
In March tons of of Alawites were massacred by an armed group, in July fighting broke out between the Druze and Bedouins in Suwayda and earlier this month fighting broke out between government forces and Kurds in Aleppo, following the primary parliamentary elections because the takeover of power.
Mourad was presented with the award on the Royal Hall of the Apostolic Palace. He said, “Today, especially in Syria, Christians and Muslims alike are called to acknowledge and nurture the bonds that unite us.
“All our religious traditions uphold the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person. Together with all people of goodwill, we seek peace.
“Therefore, I say with emphasis: theological research, interreligious, and intercultural dialogue will not be optional—they’re a significant necessity of our times, particularly for our country, Syria, torn by war.”
Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and chair of the award committee, said throughout the ceremony, “In the second edition of this award, we honour Archbishop Jacques Mourad in recognition of his lifetime of service, his witness of religion, Christian love, interreligious dialogue, and his dedication to peace and reconciliation.”
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