Yohanna Ibrahim facts for kids
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Yohanna Ibrahim, also known as Gregorios Yohanna, was born on August 18, 1948. He is an important leader in the Syriac Orthodox church, serving as the archbishop of Aleppo, a city in Syria. In 2013, he went missing along with another church leader, Boulos Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo.
The Life of Archbishop Yohanna
Yohanna Ibrahim was born in Qamishly, Syria. He began his journey in the church by studying deeply about religion and church laws. From 1973 to 1976, he studied at a special institute in Rome, Italy, called the Pontifical Oriental Institute.
He became a monk in 1973. A monk is a person who dedicates their life to religious service. Later, he became a deacon in 1976, which is a church helper, and then a priest in the same year. In 1979, he became a bishop, a high-ranking church leader.
In 1988, he started a publishing house in Aleppo called Al Raha Mardin. This house helped print and share religious books.
Education and Church Roles
Archbishop Ibrahim earned several degrees from different places. He studied at St. Ephrem Theological Seminary and the Oriental Institute in Rome. He also received a special doctorate degree, called a PhD, from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom. His PhD research was about "Christian Arabs in Mesopotamia before Islam."
Before becoming a bishop in Syria, Ibrahim worked in several countries. These included Iraq, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, and Lebanon. He was also part of many important religious groups. These groups included the Global Christian Forum and the Middle East Council of Churches. He was also on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.
Disappearance in 2013
Archbishop Ibrahim disappeared in 2013. He was traveling with Boulos Yazigi, the Greek Orthodox archbishop. They were trying to help free two priests who had been kidnapped. It is thought that the kidnappers were from Chechnya.
