His Holiness Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II My Dear Brother Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim Happy St. Johns Day I have never thought that I would celebrate the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, which you annually observe as your personal patron feast day, without personally offering you my greetings and congratulations. Likewise, I have never thought that I would visit your beloved archdiocese of Aleppo without seeing you moving constantly around your offices and working non-stop helping your parishioners and non-parishioners alike. My visit to Aleppo to celebrate Christmas confirmed to me what I have always known; the love of your entire archdiocese and the longing to have you with them at the earliest. They continue to shed their tears and offer their prayers for your immediate release together with your brother Metropolitan Paul Yaziji and other abductees. My dear brother, together with all your friends, I remain hopeful that you will come back to us soon, because we know that you are in Gods care and under His divine protection. I assure you that we are doing and will do all that we can to secure your release. Your release is our priority and the cause of the whole church and the entire peace-loving people throughout the world. Tomorrow, as we celebrate the Holy Qurobo (Divine Liturgy) in observance of the feast of your personal patron saint, St. John the Baptist, we will pray for you that you may be among us soon. We also ask you to remember me and the entire church during your prayers in your captivity. Once again, happy St. Johns Feast. See you soon. Yours truly Ignatius Aphrem II
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 13:14:45 +0000