( CNN ) -- Two Syrian Orthodox bishops remain missing two days after being kidnapped , with each side in the civil war blaming others for the snatching . The whereabouts of the two prominent clergymen , Greek Orthodox Bishop Paul Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox Bishop John Ibrahim , remain unknown , despite some reports to the contrary , Greek Orthodox Bishop Mousa Khoury told CNN . There have been several kidnappings of Christian clergymen in Syria but the two bishops are the most senior church figures who have been abducted since the beginning of the uprising . The Syrian regime 's Ministry of Religious Endowment issued a statement blaming `` this brutal act '' on Chechen mercenaries operating under the mantle of Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda . The government did not provide evidence to back up the claim . A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army said the government itself could be behind the kidnappings . `` The timing is very suspicious and we believe the Assad regime is behind the kidnapping , '' Louay Almokdad told CNN . Another opposition figure , Rami Abdurrahman of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , elaborated , saying they believe that non-Arab foreign fighters are behind the kidnappings . `` We know that there are foreign fighters who are infiltrated by the regime and the Assad regime is well known for being a ventriloquist of proxy groups that they set up in order to spread chaos , strife and to divide the ranks of the opposition , '' he said . CNN can not independently confirm the claims by either side . Earlier , there were conflicting reports about the status of the bishops . `` The bishops were supposed to be released by the armed group yesterday evening ; then we expected them to head back to their churches . But they did n't , so we are still carrying out all efforts to figure out what happened , '' Abdel Ahad Steifo , a prominent Syriac member of Syria 's main opposition group , told CNN . Steifo , who is in charge of the negotiations for the release of the clergymen , says he does not know the identity of the kidnappers . But they are not part of the opposition , he said . In an interview with the Vatican 's Fides News Agency , the Chaldean bishop of Aleppo , Antoine Audo , said that at the root of the `` scourge of kidnapping '' is not politics , but `` the pursuit of money on behalf of armed gangs . '' Recent incidents of clergymen being kidnapped ended with their release after ransoms of thousands of dollars were paid , he said . On Tuesday , the director of the Holy See press office , the Rev . Federico Lombardi , said Pope Francis is closely following the events in Syria . The pope is `` praying for the health and the liberation of the two kidnapped bishops , '' Lombardi said . A number of Muslim clerics have also been killed and kidnapped in Syria , including a top Sunni cleric and longtime supporter of President Bashar al-Assad , Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti , who was killed in a suspicious blast while teaching religious class in Damascus . Rebels and regime officials blamed each other for the assassination of al-Bouti . READ MORE : Israel says Syria used chemical weapons ; Russia warns of 'Iraqi scenario ' READ MORE : Rights group accuses Syrian military of targeting civilians . READ MORE : Syria rebel group 's dangerous tie to al Qaeda .
Two prominent Syrian Orthodox bishops have been missing for two days . The opposition and the government each blame others for the kidnapping . Score: 6