Christians pray for abducted Syrian prelates

June 24, 2013

Two months after Syrian rebels kidnapped the Greek and Syriac Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo, Christians in the region gathered to pray for their release. The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch celebrated the divine liturgy at Balamand Monastery near Tripoli, Lebanon. “We believe their fate is in the hands of God, but this doesn’t [free] anyone from the responsibility of finding out the truth and releasing them as soon as possible,” preached Patriarch John X (Yazigi), the brother of the kidnapped Greek Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo, as he called upon governments to do more to secure their release.

 

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Further information:

• Greek Orthodox patriarch slams failure to free bishops (Beirut Daily Star)
• -- Patriarch leads candlelit vigil for Syria's kidnapped bishops (Reuters)
• Prayers for the bishops of Aleppo kidnapped two months ago (Fides)
• Syrian rebels kidnap 2 prelates (CWN, 4/23)