Abducted Syrian hierarchs released

Reports issued by Reuters, BBC and other media outlets on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 indicated that the two Syrian hierarchs who had been abducted near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo had been released by their unnamed abductors earlier that day.

As reported on Monday, April 22, Metropolitan Paul Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, brother of Patriarch John X of Antioch, and Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, had been abducted earlier that day while traveling together on the road between Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) and Aleppo. Their driver was killed in the attack.

According to Reuters, the hierarchs were the most senior Church figures caught up in the ongoing conflict.