An Iraqi priest kidnapped by militants last year has gone missing for a second time, prompting fears that he has again been abducted.

Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current superior of the Custody of the Holy Land, confirmed to Asia News that Franciscan priest Father Dhiya Aziz had been kidnapped. He was returning to his parish in Idlib province, Syria, from Turkey when he was taken on 23 December.

According to the Catholic Herald, he had been visiting relatives forced to flee Qaraqosh, previously a Christian-majority town in Iraq until ISIS overran the city in August 2014.

"We realise someone took him, but we cannot say who did it or even if he is still alive," Fr Pizzaballa said. "If we knew who abducted him, at least we would have confirmation, but until now, we do not know even that."

Fr Pizzaballa added that Yakubiyah village, where Fr Aziz works, is surrounded by conflict. "Many groups are active in that area, affiliated with various factions and without coordination among themselves, each on its own, so it is difficult to understand who did it".

Fr Aziz was first kidnapped by militants on 4 July last year, but released five days later. A number of priests have been taken by assailants in Syria since the outbreak of conflict in 2011, either by ISIS or other militant groups.

However, this is the first time that a priest has been kidnapped and a point of contact has not been found with the abductors. "It is a very different situation than in July," Fr Pizzaballa said.

He added that the Middle East is in "dire need of mercy".

"It is clear to anyone who knows the region that it will be impossible to escape from such spiral of hatred, resentment, and revenge unless we have the courage to move on, forgive and be merciful. Otherwise, it is a vicious circle that will get worse," he said.

Fr Aziz was originally from Mosul, once considered the heartland of Iraq's Christian population. It was overrun by ISIS in June 2014, and is now a key city in the militants' self-declared caliphate.