The Islamic State militants have transferred dozens of Christians to their strongholds in the northeast of the country. Qaryatain is at a strategic point near the road linking the ancient city of Palmyra with the Qalamoun mountains, along the border with Lebanon. After the conquest of the town at the beginning of August, the Islamists kidnapped 230 people, at least 60 Christians and including women and children. Forty-eight were released and 110 were transferred to the province of Raqqa, the heart of the Islamic State. The fate of the other 70 is not known. Syrian Christian priest Jacques Mourad was kidnapped at the village in May. He is the prior of the Mar Elian monastery, an offshoot of the Deir Mar Musa al Habashi community, re-founded by Italian Jesuit Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, who was kidnapped on July 29, 2013 in Raqqa. Father Murad, with Father Dall'Oglio, has worked for years to bring relief to the Syrian people and to promote spiritual dialogue and rapprochement between Islam and Christianity. The monastery was considered a place of rest and refreshment, open to all visitors. When the civil war began it welcomed and protected thousands of refugees, Christians and Muslims. "We build to serve the poor, to teach Muslim and Christian children, so that that hope doesn't die. We want to remain a sign of hope for the rest of the parish and for everyone else," said Father Mourad at an event for children organised with the Muslim community. The monastery of Mar Elian was dedicated to Saint Elian, the son of a Roman officer killed by his father in 284 for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. (AGI)