Syriac Catholic Patriarch election synod called

Jan 15, 2009 / 11:48 am (CNA) - The Holy Father has called a Synod of bishops from the Syriac Catholic Church to take place in Rome January 17 – 23 in order to elect a new Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians and of All the East.

The position of the supreme head of the Syriac Catholic Church has been vacant since the resignation of Patriarch Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad was accepted in February 2008. The Patriarch had held the position since 2001.

In a statement from the Holy See, Pope Benedict explained that the Synod “will begin with two days of prayer and reflection and will be presided over by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches."

And from CNEWA:

The Syrian Catholic Patriarch always takes the name Ignatius in addition to another name. Although Syrian Catholic priests were bound to celibacy at the Synod of Sharfeh in 1888, there are now a number of married priests. A patriarchal seminary and printing house are located at Sharfeh Monastery in Lebanon.

The largest concentrations of Syrian Catholics are found in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. The common language is Arabic, although Syriac is still spoken in a few villages in eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

A community of nuns, known as the Ephremite Sisters or Daughters of the Mother of Mercy, was founded by the Syrian Catholic Patriarch in 1901. The community was dispersed during World War I, and reestablished in 1958. In 2003 the order had 11 sisters in Lebanon and six in Syria, along with ten novices. Since 1970 it has directed St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Batha, Lebanon, which over the years has given shelter to some 900 girls.

A diocese for Syrian Catholics in the United States and Canada, Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark, was founded in 1995. The first bishop is Joseph Younan (502 Palisade Avenue, Union City, New Jersey 07087). The diocese includes five parishes and four missions in the United States, and two parishes and one mission in Canada. In Australia contact Msgr. Michael Berbari, 60 Kingsland Road, Beralla 2141.

In a letter to him dated January 25, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Syrian Patriarch Ignatius Peter VIII, who had been in office since 2001. The Pope acknowledged that the Patriarch had resigned because of his “concern for the spiritual progress of the faithful and for harmony among bishops.” The Pope entrusted the leadership of the Syrian Catholic Church to a committee composed of three bishops pending the election of a new Patriarch.