The Middle East Council of Churches announced that the 22 April each year—the day of the kidnapping of the two Archbishops of Aleppo, Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji and Metropolitan Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim— will be named “The Ecumenical Day for the Abducted and the Forcibly Absented.”
The day will become part of the Middle East Council of Church’s work calendar, and the theme will carry through its projects in the field of awareness and advocacy, and within the programs for the Rehabilitation of Social Capital and Human Dignity.
Middle East Council of Churches teams will start related specialized programs at various levels, partnering with ecclesiastical, civil, and international organizations. The Middle East Council of Churches will also hold a specialized symposium on the issue of Abduction and Forced Absence every year on the same date.
In addition, the Middle East Council of Churches will launch research projects on the theme, in coordination with universities and specialized research centers in the Middle East, leading to awareness programs and public conferences on the phenomenon of abduction and forced absence.
