Church heads convene in historic meeting

Leaders from five churches met in Lebanon on Friday following an invitation from the Syriac Orthodox patriarch. A joint statement following the meeting outlined common goals and concerns among the heads. 

The Word | December 16, 2o22

Heads of five Syriac churches convened in a historic meeting in Lebanon on Friday, according to church officials.

The meeting, hosted by Syriac Orthodox patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II at his residence in Atchaneh, Lebanon, about 20km northeast of Beirut, included representatives from the Maronite, Chaldean Catholic and Syriac Catholic churches, as well as the Assyrian Church of the East.

According to Mor Aphrem, the meeting is the first of its kind.

“I have the honor of hosting the Patriarchs of the Syriac Churches who meet for the first time ever,” Mor Aphrem said on Twitter.

The Syriac Orthodox Church did not respond to The Word’s requests for comment at the time of publication. 

Joining Mor Aphrem were Mar Awa Royel III of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church, Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai of the Maronite Church, and Mar Raphael Louis Sako of the Chaldean Catholic Church. According to a statement, Sako participated virtually.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, church leaders said they “emphasize that we are one people with a common [Syriac] heritage…despite the multiplicity of our churches and the diversity of our Apostolic traditions.”

Church unity remains a popular topic among leaders and community members. Earlier this year, talks between the Ancient Church of the East — not represented at Friday’s meeting — and the Assyrian Church of the East for potential reunification came to an end with the Ancient Church’s decision to elect a new patriarch.

Shared concerns, outlined goals

The five heads outlined a set of six objectives including Syriac, or Assyrian, language education and “reviving [Syriac] heritage conferences in the Middle East.” Issues of university-level Syriac studies, joint research, academic collaboration and awareness campaigns also made it onto the list.

According to the statement, diaspora communities are a point of concern for church leaders. 

“Our children are scattered…after they were forced to flee their mother countries in the [Middle East] due to acts of violence, persecution and uprooting…,” the statement said. “We encourage them to maintain close prayers and bonds by supporting and constantly visiting the rightful issues of their people, and providing possible support to the church patrons whom we have entrusted their direct care to.”

In Iraq, an estimated 150,000 Assyrians remain, a drop from the 1.5 million who populated the country prior to the US invasion in 2003.

Between 2014 and 2017, Assyrians, along with Yazidis and other native minorities and ethnoreligious groups in Iraq and Syria, were targets of cultural and religious persecution by the Islamic State militant group.


Editor’s note: The joint statement was translated to English from its original Arabic text. 

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