“There is a problem concerning the abduction of our brothers, Archbishops Youhanna and Paul of Aleppo. Nothing is known about them. We are praying for them to return,” Patriarch John said.
The media reported earlier that Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo and Iskanderun, Patriarch John X’s brother, were kidnapped by Syrian opposition fighters near Aleppo on April 22, 2013. Their driver, also a priest, was killed. The archbishops were dealing with humanitarian problems of the local population in the village of Kfour Dael near the Syrian border with Turkey.
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Orthodox Church have repeatedly stated they have been making efforts to have the metropolitans freed.