Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General, condemned the assassination of a Dutch priest in Homs, Syria.
Father Frans Van Der Lugt, 75, a Jesuit priest, was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in his monastery, Monday morning. Ki-moon called the killing an "inhumane act of violence."
Van Der Lugt lived in the war-stricken country since 1966 and had become popular for his firmness in staying on in the besieged city of Homs despite the constant shootings and bombings.
The secretary general also said that Van Der Lugt "heroically stood by the people of Syria" during the troubled times Syria went through. He also stressed that quick actions were needed to protect the people of all religions and ethnicity in the country.
According to witnesses, the gunman entered Van Der Lugt's monastery, took him to the garden and shot him in the head. He seemed to be directly targeted, they said. "I am truly shocked. A man of peace has been murdered," Rev. Ziad Hillal said in a phone interview from Homs with the Vatican Radio, reports the Associated Press. The priest was buried in the monastery's garden late Monday by a person who stayed with him.
Motive behind the attack remained unclear and no one claimed responsibility for the assassination.
A popular figure in Homs, Van Der Lugt was respected by people for his efforts to get barriers lifted so that aid could reach the city.
According to a Vatican spokesman, Van Der Lugt remained loyal to the Syrians despite the difficulties in the country. "This is the death of a man of peace, who showed great courage in remaining loyal to the Syrian people despite an extremely risky and difficult situation," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said, reports Al Jazeera.
The past few years, rebel groups including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have become powerful and dominant among the opposition fighters in the city as well as in other cities in Syria. Some Islamist extremists among the rebels target Christians. Over 450,000 Christians left the country after the militant attacks. Prior to the civil war, Syria had an estimated Christian population of 2.5 million.
