Syriac-Catholic Bishop Jacques Mourad, in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Homs, March 3, 2025. (Credit: Lucile Wasserman/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Jacques Mourad — like his friend, the anti-Assad Italian priest Paolo Dall’Oglio, missing since 2013 — was abducted by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists in 2015. Unlike Dall’Oglio, whose fate remains unknown, Mourad managed to escape six months later. On March 3, two years after being officially appointed as Syriac Catholic bishop of Homs, Father Mourad spoke with L’Orient-Le Jour in his office. Even then, he expressed deep concern over several warning signs regarding the future of the country’s minorities.Nearly three months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, how do you perceive the general situation?The situation has improved, but overall, the atmosphere remains tense. People are still fearful and uncertain about the country’s future. Today, most people have the same fears they did under ISIS because of the ongoing violence and...
Jacques Mourad — like his friend, the anti-Assad Italian priest Paolo Dall’Oglio, missing since 2013 — was abducted by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists in 2015. Unlike Dall’Oglio, whose fate remains unknown, Mourad managed to escape six months later. On March 3, two years after being officially appointed as Syriac Catholic bishop of Homs, Father Mourad spoke with L’Orient-Le Jour in his office. Even then, he expressed deep concern over several warning signs regarding the future of the country’s minorities.Nearly three months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, how do you perceive the general situation?The situation has improved, but overall, the atmosphere remains tense. People are still fearful and uncertain about the country’s future. Today, most people have the same fears they did under ISIS because of the...