Last year Archbishop Mar Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim addressed a group at Princeton University where he compared the current protests to those from the 1980s, and described the current scene as rife with assassinations, kidnapping, looting, and destruction of public buildings and utilities. He is now a victim of the kidnappings he described.

Curlewis concluded “The current attacks and ongoing violence against innocent people in Syria is senseless and unacceptable. The Australian churches join their voices with churches around the world calling for all the actors in the Syrian conflict and the international community to combine their efforts to secure the safe release of the two archbishops and prevent any further instances of abduction and an end to the violence.

We continue to pray for the current political situation in Syria that God will guide all leaders to reconcile the differences so that the country may return to a place where justice, peace and human dignity exist for all people.”

Rev Tara Curlewis is available for Interview  Enquiries: 0419 224 935