Prayers for the bishops of Aleppo kidnapped two months ago
Damascus, 22 June 2013: The Churches of the Middle East united in prayer to invoke
the release of the two Metropolitan Bishops of Aleppo - the Syrian Orthodox Mar Gregorios
Yohanna Ibrahim and the Greek Orthodox Boulos al-Yazigi - kidnapped on April 22 by
unknown kidnappers. On Saturday evening, June 22, exactly two months after the kidnapping,
a common prayer was led jointly in Balamand by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch
Yohanna X al-Yazigi and by the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Mar Ignatius zakka II invoked
the release of all those kidnapped, and the gift of peace for Syria.
Similar
initiatives of prayer shared by all the Christian communities were held in the cathedral
churches of Aleppo. This was reported to Fides Agency by the Metropolitan Bishop Timothy
Matta Fadil Alkhouri, Patriarchal Assistant in the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of
Antioch.
"We are sad, because two months have passed and we have no idea where
they are and how our brother bishops are. We are not sure whether they are still alive,
we hope so. We have asked many times to be able to hear their voices and it was not
possible. But so far we have not received bad news, and this gives us and our people
hope. For this reason we continue to be in contact with politicians in Syria, Lebanon
and Turkey, trying to find channels of communication with someone who knows something
about their fate".
Bishop Matta thanks "Pope Francis, all Christians and also
Muslims who pray with us in this moment of sorrow. All this helps us to keep going.
On Sunday we celebrate Pentecost in our Churches. We will pray so that God the Father
puts his hands on us and grants us his Comforting Spirit."Source: Fides