Development Cooperation Handbook/Interviews/Paolo Dall'Oglio

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Paolo Dall'Oglio

Founder of the monastic community of al-Khalīl, Syria

Deir Mar Musa, Syria, Aug. 2011

''In Syria now, it is a time of division, violence and suffering. When we were there in November 2010 and in August 2011, we recorded many stories of cooperation and development. ''Nowadays, only sad and violent stories are narrated about this wonderful country. What then shall we do with these stories we collected in Syria in what now seems to be a different "age" altogether?'' ''Well, we decided to re-edit the videos we had made, include them in the Handbook we are developing and share them through the Internet. These videos will help us remember what Syria was before the civil war. And we hope that these stories will help restore trust amongst communities in Syria, and build, amongst those who love this country, the motivation to do whatever they can to restore peace and cooperation.''

Paolo Dall'Oglio (born November 17, 1954) is an Italian Jesuit priest and peace activist.

The interview was taken on August 2011 at Deir Mar Musa, Syria

He was exiled from Syria in 2012 for criticizing the actions of the al-Assad regime during the Syrian civil war.

He had served for three decades at the Deir Mar Musa, a 6th-century monastery 80 km north of Damascus, Syria. He has been leading the reconstruction of the Mar Musa complex and its reinvention as a centre of interfaith dialogue.

In late July 2013 Paolo Dall'Oglio entered rebel held territory in eastern Syria but was soon kidnapped by the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while walking in Raqqa on 29 July. Opposition sources from Raqqa said that Paolo Dall'Oglio has been executed by the extremist group. The claims are not yet confirmed.