In Syria, doubts raised about discovery of body said to be that of kidnapped priest

(OSV News) -- The announcement of the discovery of a body believed to be that of Jesuit Father Paolo Dall'Oglio has prompted church officials in Syria, including the apostolic nuncio, to urge prudence as investigations continue.

News of the possible discovery of the priest's body was first announced by Bishop Antranig Ayvazian of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Kamichlié, located in northern Syria, in an audio message published June 3 by the Italian news site Oggi.

Bishop Ayvazian said the body was found in "a cemetery in the village of Furusiyya in Raqqa," and according to him, "A group of specialists departed from Raqqa and were able to identify" the body as that of the priest.

However, key church officials, including Cardinal Mario Zenari, the apostolic nuncio to Syria, and Bishop Hanna Jallouf, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo, said the remains discovered are still unverified.

Father Dall'Oglio had worked in the country for some 30 years before he was forced to leave in 2012 after criticizing the government of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

He returned to the country in July 2013 and was attempting to negotiate the release of hostages before he was kidnapped by the Islamic State group while walking in Raqqa in the same month.

Shortly after Bishop Ayzavian's announcement, Cardinal Zenari said that although he was informed that the body of the kidnapped Jesuit priest may have been found, the "location of the discovery and the identification of Father Paolo are not yet precise."

"We have contacted the Jesuits in the area, but we have not yet been able to obtain confirmation," Cardinal Zenari said, according to Oggi.

In a subsequent interview with SIR, the news agency of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Zenari said he was "unable to confirm the veracity of the news."

Bishop Jallouf echoed Cardinal Zenari's statement, noting that it was "impossible to confirm at the moment" because "we have no precise information about it."

"I know of the discovery of a mass grave containing bodies wearing religious symbols," Bishop Jallouf told SIR. "We are waiting to learn more, to have certainties before speaking out. Investigations are ongoing. Prayer and prudence must guide us at this time."

Further doubts on the announcement were raised by Jomana al-Salman, project manager for missing persons at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, an NGO tasked with identifying persons missing since the start of the 2011 Syrian civil war.

In an interview with the Italian news agency Dire, al-Salman said that the discovery of Father Dall'Oglio's body "cannot be true because there is simply no body."

"We know for certain that no exhumation has taken place in the Furusiyya cemetery in Raqqa, because our organization is the only one tasked with this type of operation in northeast Syria, with teams of forensic experts; moreover, we are the only ones responsible for that cemetery," she said.

Francesca Dall'Oglio, the Jesuit priest's sister, also expressed doubts about the report, saying that "in recent years there has often been fake news" and that "this news for me is not true."

"They speak of a body with religious clothing, but my brother always wore civilian clothes," Dall'Oglio said in an interview with Italian TV news station RaiNews 24.

Bishop Ayvazian pushed back on assertions that he was spreading false news and said that "it is up to me as a Catholic bishop to follow the case."

"I think there is no interest in telling lies about this case," the Armenian Catholic bishop told the ANSA news agency.