But we also believe and proclaim that these two shepherds are True Confessors and Faithful Witnesses, and have received their crowns as Holy Hieromartyrs for Christ!
 |
| Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) |
Indirect info suggests two metropolitans kidnapped in Syria executed
Moscow, Interfax, December 2, 2015 (Many Thanks to Emanuel):
According to some reports, two Syrian hierarchs, namely Orthodox Church of Antioch Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul and Syro-Jacobite Metropolitan of Aleppo John-Ibrahim, kidnapped in 2013, were executed.
"Leader of the only Middle Eastern Orthodox Party Mashriq Roderick Khoury spoke of this at a meeting with coordinator of the inter-faction State Duma deputy group for the protection of Christian values Sergey Gavrilov on Wednesday," executive secretary of the deputy group Oleg Yefimov told Interfax-Religion.
The leader of the Mashriq party told Gavrilov with reference to sources in Turkey that representatives of radical North Caucasian groupings jointly with Al-Qaeda participated in the kidnapping of Syrian hierarchs, he said.
The inter-faction deputy group intended to urgently turn to the Turkish authorities for confirmation of the detention of Abdurakhmanov and the information he produced about the assassination of the Christian leaders kidnapped in 2013.
"The source said that Abdurakhmanov showed a video in which the kidnapped metropolitans were filmed and also reaffirmed that they were executed," the source said.
"Leader of the only Middle Eastern Orthodox Party Mashriq Roderick Khoury spoke of this at a meeting with coordinator of the inter-faction State Duma deputy group for the protection of Christian values Sergey Gavrilov on Wednesday," executive secretary of the deputy group Oleg Yefimov told Interfax-Religion.
The leader of the Mashriq party told Gavrilov with reference to sources in Turkey that representatives of radical North Caucasian groupings jointly with Al-Qaeda participated in the kidnapping of Syrian hierarchs, he said.
The inter-faction deputy group intended to urgently turn to the Turkish authorities for confirmation of the detention of Abdurakhmanov and the information he produced about the assassination of the Christian leaders kidnapped in 2013.
 |
| Metropolitan John (Ibrahim) |
"The source said that Abdurakhmanov showed a video in which the kidnapped metropolitans were filmed and also reaffirmed that they were executed," the source said.
From the 2013 Announcement of the abduction on the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese website:
Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi), Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Of Aleppo, and the brother of His Beatitude, as well as Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Archdiocese of Aleppo, were both abducted by terrorists in a suburb of Aleppo as they were returning from Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) to Aleppo.
The deacon who was driving their automobile was shot and killed in the attack. As you know, Syria has been suffering from these acts of terror for more than 2 years.
We ask all of you to remember Metropolitan Paul, and Archbishop Gregorios in your prayers, asking the Lord to deliver them safely from this ordeal...
More info and updates can be found on the Antiochian Archdiocese website...