Rebels abduct nuns from ancient Christian town

Islamist rebels have abducted 12 nuns from a convent in the historic Christian town of Maaloula, 50 miles north of Damascus, writes Ellen Teague.

The nuns were taken on Monday from the St Thecla Greek Orthodox convent.

“Armed men burst into the monastery of St Thecla in Maaloula this afternoon. From there, they forcibly took 12 women Religious,” said the apostolic nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Mario Zenari, citing a statement from the Greek Orthodox patriarchate. He said the Mother Superior Pelagia Sayyaf was among the 12, and that the dozens of orphaned children who lived at the convent had already left.

Many of the town’s 5,000 residents had already fled because of intense fighting and anti-Christian atrocities by rebels.

* Fr Rafic Greiche, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, reported that up to 300,000 Christians have left the country since the 2011 Arab Spring.