Originally published on April 7, 2014
Dutch priest Frans van der Lugt was beaten and shot to death in Syria on Monday morning, Reuters reported.
Van der Lugt had been living in Homs, Syria for almost five decades. He had refused to leave the besieged city even though some 1,400 people had been evacuated by the United Nations earlier this year.
A group of unidentified gunmen broke into the monastery at around 8:00 a.m. They beat the priest and opened fire at him in the monastery's garden.
The Jesuit priest was shot twice in the head, according to Vatican Radio. The attack on Van der Lugt is believed to be premeditated murder, as the priest had been an obvious target in the area of which the rebels have gained control since 2011.
Van der Lugt had become a well-known figure in Syria. "The Syrian people have given me so much, so much kindness, inspiration and everything they have. If the Syrian people are suffering now, I want to share their pain and their difficulties," he told AFP in February.
In an official statement, the Holy See praised Van der Lugt's sacrifices and dedication to the Syrian people. Van der Lugt "died as a man of peace, who with great courage in an extremely dangerous and difficult situation, wanted to remain faithful to the Syrian people to whom he had dedicated so many years of his life and spiritual service."
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