New Syriac Orthodox Patriarch elected, H.H. Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim
Today, 31 March 2014, His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim was elected as the 123rd Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East. The WCA expresses great joy upon the election of the former Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of America, and we wish him heavenly wisdom and strength in his new mission.
Click here to download the letter in Aramaic.
On 31 March 2014, the Holy Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church, which convened under the patronage of Catholicos Mor Basalios Thomas I and Mor Severios Hawa the Archbishop Baghdad and Basra (earlier appointed as the Locum Tenens), elected Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim as the 123rd Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East as His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim.
The WCA expresses great joy with the election of the former Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar of the Diocese of the Eastern United States of America (consecrated on January 28, 1996), and we wish him heavenly wisdom and strength in his new mission.
In a live broadcast on Suryoyo Sat, the Aramaic satellite channel of the Aramean people, His Holiness received on Monday 31 March the heartfelt congratulations from Mr. Johny Messo (WCA President), Mr. Halef Halef (Chairman Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Vicariate in Sweden) and Dr. Assad Sauma Assad (Aramean scholar). His Holiness participated by phone in the live program, which was moderated by Mr. Shlemun Ego, and stated among others that the patriarchal residence will remain in Damascus, Syria.
A WCA delegation will soon pay His Holiness a visit at his residence in New York City to ask for his blessings, just like his predecessor the late Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, who on many occasions expressed his gratitude with the service by the WCA to the Aramean people worldwide.
Click here for a Biography of the current Patriarch.
March 2013 in New Jersey, USA: Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim (Archbishop of Eastern United States), Mr. Johny Messo (WCA President) and Ms. Fay Shabo (Chairwoman of the Aramaic American Association, “AAA”) at the opening of the AAA Center in New Jersey, USA.
November 2009 in New Jersey and New York City, USA: The World Council of Arameans (Syriacs), formerly known as the Syriac Universal Alliance, celebrates its 10th anniversary as an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the former Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of the Eastern United States (the present Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim) and the Aramean community of New Jersey at a local church hall in New Jersey as well as at the United Nations Office in New York City.
