Marking the 2,000 days since they were abducted by gunmen near Aleppo, the World Council of Churches has again called for the release of two Syrian archbishops.
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi were kidnapped outside the city in April, 2013, and haven’t been heard from since.
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, said it was sad that a statement calling for their release needed to be repeated.
“We continue to pray for them, as a sign of hope for all the Christians of Syria and the region,” he said.
Tveit said the WCC also continued to “stand by victims of war and injustice” in Syria and “cry out loud against human rights violations”.
The civil war in Syria is now in its seventh year and with an estimated 400,000 people killed and millions forced to flee their homes.
