{"id":568204,"date":"2026-04-22T18:51:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=568204"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:51:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T15:51:43","slug":"middle-east-patriarchs-appeal-abducted-aleppo-bishops-13-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/middle-east-patriarchs-appeal-abducted-aleppo-bishops-13-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East patriarchs renew appeal 13 years after Aleppo bishops\u2019 abduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Patriarch John X of Antioch and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II issued a new joint appeal<\/a> on Wednesday over the 2013 abduction of two Aleppo bishops, calling the unresolved case \u201can affront of deceit\u201d and renewing a plea for truth and Christian solidarity in the Middle East.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The statement referred to the kidnapping of Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Metropolitan Yohanna Ibrahim, who disappeared after returning from a humanitarian mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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,\u201d the patriarchs said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They described the two hierarchs as enduring symbols of the Christian presence in the Middle East, lamenting that such presence is often invoked ceremonially \u201cin words very far from reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Call for Christian unity amid adversity<\/h2>\n

In the second part of the message, the two church leaders called for Christian unity amid ongoing trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, as Christians, we call everyone to stand in unison despite every sectarian affiliation,\u201d they wrote. \u201cThis abduction is proof that, as Christians, we share one destiny in this Levant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing years of silence surrounding the case, they noted that the kidnappers\u2019 identity and motives remain unknown and said Christians in the region remain \u201cnailed to the cross of belonging to this land, rooted in it as long as blood flows in our veins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain steadfast, relying on God alone and on our hope in the Lord of the Resurrection,\u201d they added. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The message concluded with the Paschal Troparion as a word of consolation amid the adversities faced by Christians worldwide, especially in the troubled Middle East.<\/p>\n

Read more: New Metropolitan of Aleppo enthroned 8 years after abduction of former hierarch<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo: OCP (Files)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patriarch John X of Antioch and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II issued a new joint appeal on Wednesday over the 2013 abduction of two Aleppo bishops, calling the unresolved case \u201can affront of deceit\u201d and renewing a plea for truth and Christian solidarity in the Middle East. The statement referred to the kidnapping of Metropolitan Paul…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":235009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[15238,22765,37320,21580,3383,3755,37319],"class_list":["post-568204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-abducted-bishops","tag-antioch-patriarchate","tag-bishops-kidnapping","tag-christian-persecution","tag-middle-east","tag-patriarch-john-x","tag-patriarchs-joint-appeal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}