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Congressmen seek release of kidnapped Syria archbishops
http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/05/24/15859/
11:01 24.05.2013
72 Members of Congress, led by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA),
Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), John Sarbanes (D-MD),
Trent Franks (R-AZ), and Mike Pompeo (R-KS), urged the State
Department to prioritize the release of two kidnapped Archbishops in a
letter to Secretary Kerry, the Armenian Reporter informs.
Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo,
and Metropolitan Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syriac Archbishop of Aleppo,
were abducted by unknown assailants while carrying out humanitarian
work in the northern province of Aleppo on April 22, 2013. Their
driver, Fatha'Allah Kabboud, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church,
was shot dead. Pope Francis has called for the release of these
Archbishops.
`I am pleased that 72 bipartisan Representatives in the House joined
together in urging the Secretary of State to make this issue a
priority,' said Rep. Sherman, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee and a member of the International Religious Freedom Caucus.
`We must do everything we can to ensure that Christians and other
religious minorities have a safe future in Syria. I am deeply alarmed
about the safety of the Archbishops and call for their immediate and
safe release.'
`It has been almost a month since Metropolitan Ibrahim and
Metropolitan Yazigi were kidnapped,' said Rep. Bilirakis. `I am deeply
concerned about their safety and demand their immediate return. These
men of God faithfully served the Orthodox community during the ongoing
conflict in Syria and their kidnapping highlights the troubling rise
in abductions.
`I am deeply concerned for the safety of Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi,
the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, and Metropolitan Yohanna
Ibrahim, the Syriac Archbishop of Aleppo, who were kidnapped as they
carried out humanitarian work near the Turkish border of Syria,' said
Rep. Maloney. `Not only were these religious leaders abducted, but
their driver, an innocent victim, was murdered by these armed
individuals. It is a travesty that weeks have gone by since the
Archbishops were initially captured, and we have still heard nothing
on their release. These Archbishops have nothing to do with the Syrian
civil war, and I call on their immediate and safe release.'
`The kidnapping of Metropolitan Ibrahim and Metropolitan Yazigi is
part of an alarming trend of violence directed at religious
minorities, especially Christians,' said Rep. Pompeo. `I am glad to be
joined by 71 Members of the House of Representatives to demand the
release of the Archbishops and to reaffirm our commitment to religious
freedom around the world.'
`We urge the State Department to make Metropolitan Yazigi and
Metropolitan Ibrahim's immediate release and safe return to Aleppo a
priority in our efforts in the region,' said the Members in the
letter. `As Members of Congress committed to religious freedom in the
Middle East and around the world, we believe the United States must do
everything it can to ensure that all the diverse religions and
ethnicities of Syria have a safe future.'
From: Baghdasarian
http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/05/24/15859/
11:01 24.05.2013
72 Members of Congress, led by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA),
Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), John Sarbanes (D-MD),
Trent Franks (R-AZ), and Mike Pompeo (R-KS), urged the State
Department to prioritize the release of two kidnapped Archbishops in a
letter to Secretary Kerry, the Armenian Reporter informs.
Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo,
and Metropolitan Yohanna Ibrahim, the Syriac Archbishop of Aleppo,
were abducted by unknown assailants while carrying out humanitarian
work in the northern province of Aleppo on April 22, 2013. Their
driver, Fatha'Allah Kabboud, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church,
was shot dead. Pope Francis has called for the release of these
Archbishops.
`I am pleased that 72 bipartisan Representatives in the House joined
together in urging the Secretary of State to make this issue a
priority,' said Rep. Sherman, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs
Committee and a member of the International Religious Freedom Caucus.
`We must do everything we can to ensure that Christians and other
religious minorities have a safe future in Syria. I am deeply alarmed
about the safety of the Archbishops and call for their immediate and
safe release.'
`It has been almost a month since Metropolitan Ibrahim and
Metropolitan Yazigi were kidnapped,' said Rep. Bilirakis. `I am deeply
concerned about their safety and demand their immediate return. These
men of God faithfully served the Orthodox community during the ongoing
conflict in Syria and their kidnapping highlights the troubling rise
in abductions.
`I am deeply concerned for the safety of Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi,
the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, and Metropolitan Yohanna
Ibrahim, the Syriac Archbishop of Aleppo, who were kidnapped as they
carried out humanitarian work near the Turkish border of Syria,' said
Rep. Maloney. `Not only were these religious leaders abducted, but
their driver, an innocent victim, was murdered by these armed
individuals. It is a travesty that weeks have gone by since the
Archbishops were initially captured, and we have still heard nothing
on their release. These Archbishops have nothing to do with the Syrian
civil war, and I call on their immediate and safe release.'
`The kidnapping of Metropolitan Ibrahim and Metropolitan Yazigi is
part of an alarming trend of violence directed at religious
minorities, especially Christians,' said Rep. Pompeo. `I am glad to be
joined by 71 Members of the House of Representatives to demand the
release of the Archbishops and to reaffirm our commitment to religious
freedom around the world.'
`We urge the State Department to make Metropolitan Yazigi and
Metropolitan Ibrahim's immediate release and safe return to Aleppo a
priority in our efforts in the region,' said the Members in the
letter. `As Members of Congress committed to religious freedom in the
Middle East and around the world, we believe the United States must do
everything it can to ensure that all the diverse religions and
ethnicities of Syria have a safe future.'
From: Baghdasarian