December 03, 2013 - The mother superior of a Syrian convent says 12 nuns have been
abducted by opposition fighters and taken to a rebel-held town. Mother Febronia
Nabhan, Superior of the Saidnaya Convent, said on Tuesday that the nuns and three
other women were taken on Monday from another convent in the predominantly Christian
village of Maaloula to the nearby town of Yabroud, about 20 km to the north. Mother
Nabhan told The Associated Press that the Maaloula convent's superior, Moher Pelagia
Sayaf, called her later that day and said they were all ``fine and safe.'' Meanwhile,
Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Mario Zenari told Reuters on Tuesday about the
12 nuns been taken from Maaloula to Yabroud, but could not say if it was kidnaping
or evacuation. He said the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate had told him armed men had
entered the monastery Monday afternoon. They forced the sisters to evacuate and to
follow them towards Yabroud. The fighting, which pits al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front
fighters and other rebels against Assad's forces, is part of a wider struggle for
control of the Damascus-Homs highway in central Syria. Syrian state television said
Christians had held a service in Damascus on Monday to protest against the capture
of the nuns and the kidnapping of two bishops near Aleppo in April. (Source: AP/Reuters)