The Priest who Broke his Oath
All of a sudden, the Italian Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, who has been living in Syria for more than three decades took a surprising step in severely criticizing the Syrian government and holding it responsible for the bloodshed taking part in the country.
Under the direct care and prompt support of the Syrian government for rev. Dall ‘ Oglio, Mar Musa has become a centre of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims and a destination for others who arrive and stay awhile, provided they are prepared to take part in cooking and cleaning
Most of the Syrians including a Christian majority who used to follow up the events he had run under slogans of dialogue of religions, were shocked finding him just a mere hypocrite when he alienated himself from the ” sublime divinely message” which he claimed and instead started to infuse hatred and provoke sectarianism among the Syrians. He flagrantly interfered in the internal affairs of the country saying : ” The international community cannot turn its back on the Syrian people, who are being tortured, jailed and killed for the simple act of demanding freedom of expression.”
In May 2012, and in another provocative action, he sent a letter to special UN envoy Kofi Annan calling for the deployment of 30,000 UN troops to protect Syrian civilians from harm.
In the tours which took him to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and New York, and other areas in Canada, he justified the terrorist acts carried out in various parts of Syria, though in each passing day more evidence is clear that al-Qaeda fighters have been arriving in the country to carry out ‘jihad’ against the Syrians and their country.
Unsatisfied with his continued accusations ,the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry expressed regret over Dall ‘ Oglio’s non- abidance to his spiritual duties and his participation in the disinformation campaign against Syria, which hosted him and facilitated his mission as her honorable guest for a long time.
The ministry said in a statement on September 20th “Rev. Paolo Dall‘ Oglio, who was an eye witness for great achievements made in various political, economic and social spheres in Syria, instead of calling for national reconciliation among the people he alleged to care for , he launched hostile campaigns attacking Syria and justifying terrorist acts carried out by armed guerillas and Salafi jihadist and other al-Qaeda affiliated groups. “
Rev. Paolo ‘s tour and malevolent statements came following his deportation by concerned ecclesiastical authorities in Syria, because he had deviated and alienated himself from the religious mission he dedicated himself to and his interference in the internal affairs of Syria , in favor of terrorist groups. A matter which wasproved in later statements Dall ‘Oglio , demanding the imposition of a no-fly on Syria outside the framework of the UN Security Council and thereby, placing himself in the ditch of the enemies of Syria.
In fact, what he has been doing is in contradiction with all moral principles heralded by divine monotheistic religions and comes as a free service to the enemies of Syria.
Nevertheless, Syria will continue to fight terrorism, which targets her own existence and consolidate her cultural and religious values, and perpetuate the values and principles for the unity of her people . Syria will also continue to unmask all unholy attempts made to tarnish her image before the world public opinion in the service of known agenda.
However, the monastery of Mar Musa, which was built in the 6th century and is perched high up on a cliff in desert hills, about 80 kilometers to the north of Damascus, will remain a symbol for Syria ‘s national unity, interfaith and tolerance.
The visitor to the monastery who has to ascend hundreds of stone steps before reaching its church with unmatched priceless frescoes depicting the Jesus ‘s last Supper will always find true priests or Sheikhs, who do not break their oaths.
Tomader Fateh