Syrian opposition urges release of Catholic priest

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s main opposition bloc is urging the release of a Catholic priest who disappeared while visiting a rebel-held city in the country’s northeast.

In a statement Saturday, the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition has urged any party involved Paolo Dall’Oglio’s disappearance to “immediately come forward and release him.”

Dall’Oglio, an Italian Jesuit priest, went missing on Monday in the city of Raqqa. He is a critic of the Damascus regime and was expelled last year from Syria, where he had lived for 30 years.

Raqqa in February became the first city to fall entirely under opposition control. Since then, there have been tensions between hard-line militants linked to al-Qaida and more moderate rebel groups over how to administer the city.

Both rebels and pro-regime forces have abducted political foes, members of rival sects and wealthy families around Syria and others, including foreign journalists, to settle scores or for ransom.

The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition said it was “deeply concerned” over the disappearance of the priest.

“We urge all parties involved in the disappearance of Father Paolo to immediately come forward and release him,” the coalition said in a statement.

Activists said Dall’Oglio went to Raqqa to meet with al-Qaeda-linked militants.

Dall’Oglio is the third Christian cleric believed to have been kidnapped in northern Syria this year.

In April, two Orthodox bishops were abducted. They have not been heard of since.

Gunmen pulled Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church and Bishop John Ibrahim of the Assyrian Orthodox Church from their car and killed their driver on April 22 as the group was traveling near the northern city of Aleppo. It was not clear who abducted the priests. No group has publically claimed it is holding the clerics.