Thirteen Captive Nuns Released in "rare prisoner exchange" with Syrian Rebels

Aimee Herd : Mar 11, 2014
AP Staff – AP, FOX News

"God did not leave us." -Mother Superior, Pelagia Sayaf

(Masna, Lebanon)—When 13 Greek Orthodox nuns—along with three of their helpers—were seized by Syrian rebels, in Maaloula back in December, it confirmed the fears of many Christians there that they were being targeted during Syria's upheaval. (Photo via Google)

The nuns were taken from the Mar Takla convent when their mostly Christian village of Maaloula was overrun by rebel fighters whose members include the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

On Monday, the 13 nuns and their 3 helpers were released in what is being called a "rare prisoner exchange," in which about 150 female prisoners were released by Syrian officials at the same time.

The nuns were reportedly delivered to the Syrian town of Jdeidet Yabous, near the Lebanese border. (Photo via Google)

Mother Superior Pelagia Sayaf, head of the Maaloula convent remarked, "We arrived late, and we arrived tired."

While the nuns said they were treated well, they did not "feel comfortable" wearing their crosses and crucifixes, according to the AP report.

"God did not leave us," Sayaf said. "The (Nusra) Front was good to us... but we took off our crosses because we were in the wrong place to wear them."