Mags Gargan
“There’s much lawlessness now, and we have no protection or security.”
Catholics in Libya have been left "afraid and unprotected," local Catholic leaders said, after Islamist militants seized Tripoli and Benghazi, forcing the country's elected parliament and government to flee.
Franciscan Fr Amado Baranquel, vicar of Tripoli's Franciscan community, said most Christians were afraid to leave their homes because they feared being abducted.
"There's much lawlessness now, and we have no protection or security. Most Masses are having to be celebrated in private houses and apartments like in ancient times," he said.
Fighting
The priest spoke as fighting continued between rival Islamist and pro-government forces in the Libyan capital and the eastern port city.
Fr Baranquel said that local Muslims had been "friendly and sympathetic" toward Catholics, often arranging rides for them in private cars and warning of possible dangers.
Church property was being guarded and Catholics had been cautioned not to travel because of roadblocks set up by the Islamists, he said.
"To whom are we accountable, and who can we turn to for help? We won't know till we know who's governing. Until the United Nations does something, it's those with weapons who'll dominate and rule here," he explained.
