According to the Vatican, a Syrian priest was beheaded in northern Syria.

The 49-year-old priest, Father Francois Murad, was publicly executed in June during an attack by militants at his residence.

Though the Vatican said it is unclear about the cause for the execution, residents in the area said that the Franciscan monk was attacked for opposing rebels in the area. Local sources have identified the assailants as members of the jihadist group al-Nusra Front.

Catholic news portals have posted unofficial videos of the priest's execution. Two other people were beheaded along with the priest, who was a Franciscan monk. The Franciscan order represents the Christian faith in the Middle East.

The head of the Franciscans, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told BBC News, "Let us pray so that this absurd and shameful war ends soon and that the people of Syria can go back to living a normal life."

Catholic Online was one of the news outlets to post a video showing the beheading, claiming that one of the three killings involved in the slaughtering was Father Murad. The Web site made its point on mistreatment of Christians saying,"It is very important the world knows that Christians are being murdered for their faith, and that martyrdom isn't an ancient phenomenon," reports CNN.

Local sources have linked those who committed the heinous crime to Jabhat al Nusra, a group considered as terrorists by U.S. Intelligence.