Death of a priest in Old Homs
- 10 years ago
As Syrians return to Old Homs, death lingers on nearly every block.
Buildings demolished by shelling...
Cars riddled with bullets...
Mines planted by rebels before they fled the city earlier this week...
Death even lies at one monastery that survived more than two years of fighting.
Its priest did not.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HOMS RESIDENT NAZEM KANWATI SAYING:
"The assassination took place on April 7. A masked armed man entered the convent and asked to meet with Father Frans and to move from the convent. Father Frans refused to move. After that the armed man told Father Frans to sit on a chair and shot him with a rifle and killed him."
Father Frans van der Lugt arrived in Syria in the early 70s.
When the fighting began, he converted the convent into a shelter for displaced civilians.
Christians make up about 10 percent of Syria's population.
They traditionally supported President Bashar al-Assad for protecting them -- that
Buildings demolished by shelling...
Cars riddled with bullets...
Mines planted by rebels before they fled the city earlier this week...
Death even lies at one monastery that survived more than two years of fighting.
Its priest did not.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HOMS RESIDENT NAZEM KANWATI SAYING:
"The assassination took place on April 7. A masked armed man entered the convent and asked to meet with Father Frans and to move from the convent. Father Frans refused to move. After that the armed man told Father Frans to sit on a chair and shot him with a rifle and killed him."
Father Frans van der Lugt arrived in Syria in the early 70s.
When the fighting began, he converted the convent into a shelter for displaced civilians.
Christians make up about 10 percent of Syria's population.
They traditionally supported President Bashar al-Assad for protecting them -- that