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Three years after the two Syrian archbishops were kidnapped near Aleppo, Syria, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit is keeping hope alive and continuing to pray for their release.
The two religious leaders, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi, were kidnapped by gunmen in April 2013 when they were on their way back from the Turkish border to their city of Aleppo.
In a letter to two concerned Antiochian Patriarchs, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II and John X, Tveit said the ecumenical family is saddened by the continued absence of the two metropolitans.
“Together with your churches and all the Christians in Syria and throughout the world, we continue to keep hope alive and pray for their safety and release,” the letter states.
Tveit also remembered the millions of innocent people in Syria who have lost loved ones, those who are tortured and unjustly imprisoned, and those who have been forced to leave their homes and live in insecurity and vulnerability.
Referring to the “pilgrimage for justice and peace” declared by the WCC 10th Assembly in 2013, Tveit underlined that “In this path we have committed ourselves, together with you, to develop ways of building bridges and working towards a just peace” in Syria. He reiterated the conviction that “the Syrian people deserve another alternative to what they face today”, and the hope that their suffering would soon end and peace and justice be secured.
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