Update (May 6): Orthodox church leaders are not the only ones calling for the release of two kidnapped Syrian bishops. Pope Francis and the U.S. government both have issued calls for the release of the two bishops, who have been held hostage in an undisclosed location since their capture on April 22.

In addition, George Conger reports that the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster issued a joint statement on the kidnapping, calling it "another telling sign of the terrible circumstances that continue to engulf all Syrians."

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Update (April 24, 2013): Two Orthodox bishops were reported as kidnapped by Syrian rebels while driving from the Syrian city Aleppo toward Turkey on Monday.

Reuters reported that church sources said the bishops had been freed on Tuesday, but later stories have contradicted the original report. As of Wednesday morning, a "source at the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo said the bishops had not been released and he was unaware of any contact with their abductors." ...

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