Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus A Maronite archbishop in Syria narrowly escaped death by just a few seconds when a shell crashed through his bed as he was preparing for a nap.
In an email to supporters Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus said priests cried when they saw him emerge from the ruins.
“Providence watches over his poor servant,” the archbishop said.
The shelling damaged 43 windows and doors of the cathedral, as well as fuel and water tanks.
Forced to leave, Archbishop Nassar said: “I am exiled like the 12 million Syrians who have done nothing.
“Violence is the only master, innocents are being sacrificed every day.”
Damage
ACN said the Melkite Patriarchate on Straight Street, the only road mentioned in the New Testament and the place where St Paul stayed, also suffered damage when a bomb fell on the courtyard.
The archbishop’s supporter, Antonia Moffat, said several nuns from the Sisters of Jesus and Mary convent in Damascus, led by Sr Annie Demerijan, narrowly escaped death in a similar incident.
They have asked for prayers for seven people in hospital who were injured during the bombing.