The cross that towered on the dome of the monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus does not exist any more. Armed groups of the jihadist Galaxy removed it, who on Wednesday attacked and invaded Maaloula, the small Christian village in the north of Damascus, a sacred place for all Syrians, where Aramaic is still spoken, the original language of Jesus. Even the Church of St. Leontius and that of Saints Cosmas and Damian were damaged. As Fides learns, armed groups, that for three months have been stationed on a hill overlooking the village, attacked the military checkpoint at the entrance of the village, killing the soldiers who were there. Then they entered the village and fired on houses, injuring three civilians. Asked by Fides Agency, the Melkite Patriarch Gregory III Laham, embittered by what he calls "the great tragedy of this war", launches an urgent appeal "to the international community, to the conscience of the whole world, to save the small village of Maaloula", which is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Damascus, "which is a very important Christian symbol in the history of Syria", he explains.
The Patriarch told Fides: "80% of the terrified population of the village have fled to Damascus. Yesterday refugees, came crying to the Greek Catholic and then went to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. We tried in every way to comfort them. Maaloula is a sacred place for all of us, but first of all its inhabitants are sacred: man is the holy temple of God. Armed groups are now holed up in the village, made up of houses built on the rocks. And any act of force to throw them out could mean the destruction of the place", notes with concern the Patriarch. Gregory III adds: "For two and a half years we have brought the cross, we are pilgrims in the Way of the Cross. The attack on Maaloula is a deep wound, it is a peak of our suffering, for its historical, cultural and spiritual value that the place has for all Syrians".
The Patriarch told Fides: "Tomorrow, September 7, we will live the Day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, launched by the Pope, in our Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Damascus. All the Patriarchs have called on the Bishops and faithful. We will celebrate a prayer vigil with Catholic faithful and of other Christian denominations. We have also invited the Muslims. We thank Pope Francis for this initiative which shakes the conscience of the world, indifferent for too long". (PA) (Agenzia Fides

http://fides.org/en/news/34244-ASIA_SYRIA_The_Melkite_Patriarch_appeal_to_save_Maaloula_a_holy_place_for_the_Syrians

Since Maoulla is under the jurisdiction of the Damascus Patriarchate of teh Melkite Church that means that they are fellow traditionalist Catholics and they are in need of our prayers.

Here is more news from Maoulla;
Fighters that have been linked to Al Qaeda took control of the Christian village of Maaloula after fighting with regime forces. Fears have been reignited about western support for the rebel groups, which strongly infiltrated by Islamic extremists.

The rebels, many of who sport beards, shouting the phrase  "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after moving into the village, saying that they had "liberated" the residents from government forces.  

"They shot and killed people," one Maaloula resident says. "I heard gunshots and then I saw three bodies lying in the middle of a street in the old quarters of the village. Where is President Obama to see what has befallen us?"

"I saw the militants grabbing five villagers and threatening them and saying, "either you convert to Islam, or you will be beheaded,'" another Christian resident said.

Another said one church had been torched while other gunmen stormed into two other churches and robbed them.

Located 25 miles from Damascus, Maaloula is one of the few places in the world where residents still use the ancient language of Aramaic, which was spoken by Jesus and his disciples.

While the village has largely escaped the turmoil of this Middle Eastern country's cινιℓ ωαr, Maaloula has become a key strategic battleground in the Syrian cινιℓ ωαr because of its proximity to the capital. Formerly held by President Assad's regime, the village was captured in a rebel advance spearheaded by the hard-line Islamist al Nusra Front.

Villagers said they heard several foreign accents among the rebels, with many feared to be Al Qaeda fighters imported into the conflict. A villager said he heard lots of Tunisian, Libyan, Moroccan and Chechen dialects.

In a video posted online, a rebel commander shouted at the camera: "We cleansed Maaloula from all the Assad dogs and all his thugs." In the meantime, Syria's state news agency claimed the rebels had withdrawn and the regime had regained the village, saying: "The army inflicted heavy losses in the ranks of the terrorists."

http://catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=52332

It is very easy to talk tough when everything is going well, but when the times are tough it becomes another thing.  Let us pray for them to be faithful in the hour of their trial.

And the " Rebels" named Al Queda  are being armed and bankrolled by Barack Obama with the taxpayers money of the USA. Meanwhile disabled Viet Nam Combat Veterans diabetic supplies are being rationed to them...but he will fund and arm those who kill Christians.

For Syrian Christians, Maalula, the Christian village in the north of Damascus, attacked in recent days by armed Islamist groups, is already a "land of martyrs". Thanks to an eyewitness, a Christian woman named A. , currently in hospital in Damascus, Fides has reconstructed in detail the fate of three Christians killed in Maalula. Their funerals were celebrated on September 10 in Damascus, in the Greek-Catholic cathedral, in a celebration presided over by Melkite Patriarch Gregory III Laham, in the presence of the bishops of other confessions.

According to what the woman told Fides, the armed groups enter many homes of civilians on September 7, destroying and terrorizing people, damaging all the sacred images. In one house there were three Greek Catholic men Mikhael Taalab, his cousin Antoun Taalab, Sarkis el Zakhm, Mikhael’s grandson, and the woman A. , their relative, who says what happened. The Islamists warned everyone present to convert to Islam. Sarkis answered clearly: "I am a Christian and if you want to kill me because I am a Christian, do it". The young man together with the other two were killed cold bloodedly. The woman was injured and was saved by a miracle, later taken to hospital in Damascus. "What Sarkis did is true martyrdom, a death in odium fidei", said Sister Carmel to Fides, among the Christians of Damascus who assist the displaced in Maalula. Those present at the funeral were very moved. Today 's displaced in Maalula, mostly in Damascus, emphasizes the nun, " ask to be able to return to their homes, in peace and security".

http://www.news.va/en/news/asiasyria-maalula-land-of-martyrs-death-in-odium-f

I almost think this should be placed in the section for saints and the sacred liturgy. I only hope that I will be as faithful on the day of my trial.