Monday, April 22, 2013

Met. Boulos Yazigi Kidnapped Outside Aleppo along with Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim

Translated from here. More as soon as any news comes out. For more details from tomorrow morning's Lebanese press, see here.

The name of the driver who was killed, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church, is Fatuh. May his memory be eternal!



Armed men have kidnapped the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Iskanderun, Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi and the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahm near the city of Aleppo.

An-Nahar has learned that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, which recieved news of the kidnapping of the two metropolitans this evening, will not issue any statement before tomorrow, pending their receiving complete and precise information about the kidnapping.

According to details relayed to an-Nahar by concerned sources, Metropolitan Yazigi was on the Turkish side of his archdiocese, which extends from Aleppo to Antakya and Metropolitan Ibrahim and gone to accompany him. Along the road on their return to Aleppo, an armed group stopped them before they could arrive to the city, killing Ibrahim's driver and kidnapping the two metropolitans. The Orthodox metropolitan's office relates that the two metropolitans were not injured. Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji is the brother of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X Yazigi.

[Update] Additional information has been made available to an-Nahar indicating the possibility of a connection of this incident to what happened in Boston, since the kidnappers include individuals from Chechnya. Intensive contacts to establish the circumstances of the incident.


From the Daily Star, here: Rebels kidnap two Aleppo bishops


BEIRUT: Two Aleppian bishops were kidnapped by Syrian rebels in the outskirts of the city Monday evening, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

The driver of Boulos al-Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo and Iskandaroun and Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syrian-Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, was killed during the attack.

The NNA reported that Ibrahim, Yazigi and the third man, also a priest, were driving from a village near the Turkish border to Aleppo. As they approached the city, they were met with an armed group that forced them out of the car.

The bishops are believed to alive and efforts are ongoing to secure their release.

5 comments:

  1. Lord have mercy...prayers for their safe return.

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    1. These are the very people that our government supports with hundreds of millions of our tax payer $, in "nonlethal aid". The policy makers in our government hope that they will be swept aside by the other "rebels" who will establish a democracy. This is the outstanding policy making in our government now...Option A: give them more money! Option B: send them more weapons. I am ashamed that there is not one soul with a conscience in our leadership that would question what we have allowed to be unleashed upon that country.

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  2. LOrd Have Mercy..May the good Lord give them to strengh and faith to get through this wicked ordeal. May they be delivered safely.

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  3. Philip Saliba should stop his support of the Republican Party; they're the biggest cheerleaders of the rebels. He sucks up to Darryl Issa and John Sununu while they support the neocons who support the rebels. Lord do have mercy on us.

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  4. Save, O Lord, and have mercy upon the soul of your Holy Deacon, Fatuh. May his memory be eternal! Forgive those who committed this horrible act, and have mercy on us all.

    Also, Lord, we pray that you deliver your Holy Archbishops, Boulos and Yohanna, from harm, according to your will.

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