7 Years Pass Since Syrian Bishops’ Kidnapping
04/22/2020 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Today marks the passage of seven years since two bishops were kidnapped in Syria, with no concrete information revealed as to their fate or abductors. Msgr. Yohanna Ibrahim, head of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Aleppo, and Msgr. Boulos Yazigi, head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Aleppo, were traveling together in a car on April 22, 2013. They were kidnapped by armed men, and their driver killed. They were traveling to the Turkish border with the intention of trying to secure the release of two other kidnapped Aleppo priests.
Since their kidnapping, rumors have swirled as to what their fate could have been. The incident occurred during a time when targeted assassinations of Christian leaders were commonplace throughout Syria. Terrorists—often with connections to al-Qaeda—are frequently credited for the priests’ kidnapping. The Syrian regime is also at times credited with the kidnapping. Last year, Turkey also came under the journalistic microscopic for possibly supporting al-Qaeda in the kidnapping. Despite all these rumors, nothing has ever been proven. The church still holds hope that the priests are alive, since there has been no definitive confirmation otherwise. Most Christians have left Syria because of the violence and persecution.
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