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Pope Francis took to Twitter on Tuesday to express sympathy to the Armenian community of Qamishli, Syria over the killing of two Armenian priests.

Father Hovsep Bedoyan, the head of the Armenian Catholic community in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli near the border with Turkey, was shot dead by Islamic State terrorists, alongside his father, Abraham, as they were traveling in a car in northeastern Syria on Monday, November 11.

The priests were heading to the province of Deir ez-Zur when they came under attack. The two men were reportedly due to oversee the restoration of a church in Deir ez-Zur. A third man, a deacon from the town of Al-Hasakeh, was reportedly wounded in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

“I am close to Armenian Catholics of Qamishli, in Syria, as they gather for the funeral of their parish priest, Father Hovsep Bedoyan, who was killed yesterday together with his father,” Pope Francis tweeted. “I pray for them, their families, and for all Christians in Syria.”

I am close to Armenian Catholics of Qamishli, in Syria, as they gather for the funeral of their parish priest, Father Hovsep Bedoyan, who was killed yesterday together with his father. I pray for them, their families, and for all Christians in Syria.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 12, 2019