Ministry: Kidnapped bishops alive

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Bishops kidnapped on Turkey’s Syrian border are still alive and efforts are ongoing to secure their release, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said.

Officials from Foreign Ministry’s Press Information told Hürriyet Daily News they were making calls for their release but avoided giving further details about what sources they were in contact with. Officials added that the ministry would continue its efforts until the bishops were found.

Aleppo’s Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yaziji and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim were kidnapped on April 22 by armed men en route from the Turkish border. Fadi Hurigil, head of the Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation, said Yaziji seemed nervous when he was leaving the church. The kidnapping of the bishops has raised fears among Christians as they become increasingly vulnerable to attack and abductions in the country.