Connelly Meets Youhanna X, Urges 'Immediate Release' of Abducted Bishops

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Tuesday met with Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Youhanna X, reiterating her country's call for the “immediate release” of two Orthodox bishops who were kidnapped in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

“Connelly condemned in the strongest terms the kidnapping of the Patriarch’s brother, Archbishop Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of Aleppo, and repeated the United States’ call for their immediate release,” said a statement issued by the U.S. embassy.

The ambassador conveyed the United States’ “continued support of the Syrian people and underscored the importance of the Geneva communiqué as a basis to realize a peaceful transition through dialogue.”

She also reaffirmed Washington's “commitment to a democratic and pluralistic Syria that represents and protects the rights of all its people,” underscoring the United States’ “support for the principle of human and religious rights, including the rights of minorities.”

Connelly emphasized “the important and enduring role Christians continue and must play in the region in concert with other religious groups.”

She also renewed the commitment of the United States to “a stable, sovereign, and independent Lebanon.”

The two bishops were kidnapped by armed men as they were en route to the northern city of Aleppo from the Turkish border.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but sources at the Greek Orthodox Church have said the kidnappers are "Chechen jihadists."

Christians account for around five percent of Syria's population. They have become increasingly vulnerable to attack and abductions in the lawlessness that has engulfed much of the country since an uprising against President Bashar Assad erupted two years ago.