Rev.
Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches
(WCC), extended greetings from the worldwide fellowship of churches to
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II during a celebration in Beirut
on 1 June following his enthronement as Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of
Antioch and All East, and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox
Church.
Ignatius Aphrem II, formerly Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem
Karim of the Eastern United States of America from 1996 to 2014, was
enthroned as patriarch in Damascus on 29 May. His predecessor, Patriarch
Igatius Zakka I Iwas, had died on 21 March after a long illness.
Speaking
on behalf of the WCC, Tveit said, “The fellowship of our member
churches is thankful to the Triune God, the God of life, that you are
called to this significant ministry of leadership. You have been
provided with your many gifts of wisdom, knowledge, communication,
courage, friendliness and joy to fill this role.”
Tveit added
that this enthronement is to be taken as “a sign of hope”, especially in
such “difficult and challenging times for Syria and the whole Middle
East region.”
The new patriarch was born on 3 May 1965 in
Qamishli, Syria. He was educated at St Ephraim’s Theological Seminary in
Lebanon, Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt and St Patrick’s
College in Maynooth, Ireland.
The WCC general secretary noted
that, as a Syriac Orthodox archbishop in the United States, the newly
enthroned patriarch represented his church at three WCC Assemblies and
has served on the central and executive committees of the WCC, as well
as in the leadership of other ecumenical bodies such as Christian
Churches Together and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the U.S.A.
Tveit concluded by offering prayers for the patriarch,
for the Syriac Orthodox Church throughout the world, and particularly
for the release of two Orthodox archbishops, Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos
Yazigi, who were kidnapped near Aleppo, Syria more than a year ago.
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