Damascus, April 23, 2026
The heads of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Churches of Antioch have issued a joint statement marking the 13th anniversary of the abduction of two Syrian bishops who remain missing.
His Beatitude Patriarch John X of the Greek Orthodox Church and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church released the statement on April 22, commemorating the disappearance of His Eminence Metropolitan John Ibrahim and Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, who were kidnapped on April 22, 2013, while returning from a humanitarian mission near Aleppo, Syria.
In the statement, the Patriarchs describe the case as “one of the strangest cases, an affront to the very core of human dignity,” and say the abduction “has partly reflected the hideous humanitarian tragedy in the Levant.”
The Church leaders say they have pursued “every diplomatic, security, political, social, and other channel” without reaching a resolution. They noted that the kidnappers have never revealed their identity or motives, and that security efforts have failed to locate the missing bishops.
The Patriarchs call on Christians to “stand in unison despite every sectarian affiliation” and affirm their commitment to the region. “As Eastern Christians, we are nailed to the cross of belonging to this land, rooted in it as long as blood flows in our veins,” they write.
Read the full statement:
Beloved brothers and spiritual children,
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
On this day in 2013, our brethren, both Metropolitans of Aleppo, John Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, were abducted. To this day, their case has partly reflected the hideous humanitarian tragedy in the Levant. Their case remains an affront of deceit upon the brow of truth, a truth slaughtered on the thresholds of senseless wars and collapsing interests.
Today, we bring to remembrance these two brethren and fathers, whose abduction represents one of the strangest cases, an affront to the very core of human dignity, in a world where, for some, the human person has become a commodity. We remember them being abducted while returning from a humanitarian mission. We remember them as enduring symbols of the Christian presence in the Levant—a presence often praised in words very far from reality.
We recall all this with an indelible grief that neither days nor years can erase. We place this humanitarian case before local and global public opinion, reminding all that we have been knocking on every diplomatic, security, political, social, and other channel, without yet reaching any true outcome.
Today, as Christians, we call everyone to stand in unison despite every sectarian affiliation. This abduction is proof that, as Christians, we share one destiny in this Levant—a destiny also shared with all who seek the mercies of God and enthrone Him, not themselves, as Lord of life and giver of justification and divine grace.
Facing this silence and the kidnappers’ refusal over the years to reveal either their identity or their aims, facing the failure of security efforts and the confusion surrounding this case at different times, we reaffirm once again: as Eastern Christians, we are nailed to the cross of belonging to this land, rooted in it as long as blood flows in our veins. We remain steadfast, relying on God alone and on our hope in the Lord of the Resurrection. We remain steadfast, trusting in Him who has been with us for two thousand years, and believing that He is with us unto the ages of ages.
In the midst of the radiant Pascha and all that surrounds us, we hold fast to the anchor of salvation in the Risen Lord, the God of all consolation, and on our lips and in our hearts resounds the hymn of His victorious resurrection:
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and bestowing life upon those in the tombs.”
Damascus, April 22, 2026
John X
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East – Greek Orthodox
Ignatius Aphrem II
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East – Syriac Orthodox, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church Worldwide
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