Posted on 04/23/2013 4:01:16 PM PDT by NYer
BEIRUT – A church official says two bishops who were abducted by gunmen while traveling in northern Syria have been released.
Greek Orthodox Bishop Tony Yazigi says the kidnapped priests, Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church and Bishop John Ibrahim of the Assyrian Orthodox Church, were released Tuesday and have arrived safely in the city of Aleppo.
Yazigi said the two bishops were abducted late Monday from the village of Kfar Dael, and their driver was killed by the gunmen.
It was not immediately clear who kidnapped the men.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Prayers of thanksgiving, ping!
Wonderful news!
Thank God, I’m glad they’re OK.
They were kidnapped by the Free Syrian Army groups, and it was a bad incident. The Lebanese press reports that their driver, a priest, was killed.
The bishops were going to the villages, organising much needed charity supplies.
Thanks be to God!
Thank you God!
Putin told them to release these Bishops or face the wrath of Russia—and the wrath of Russia can be very terrible indeed.
The Antiochian Archdiocese of North America released the following statement:
“There have appeared many reports in both the Eastern and Western press that the two hierarchs who were abducted yesterday by terrorists in Syria, Metropolitan Boulos Yazge, Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, Syriac Archbishop of Aleppo, have been released. His Eminence Metropolitan Philip spoke by phone this morning to His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, who said that these reports are false, and that the release of these two hierarchs has NOT taken place unfortunately.
We ask you to continue to pray for their safety, and eventual release.
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