Syriac Orthodox Church elects patriarchal locum tenens

Beirut (OCP) - The Synod of the Syriac Orthodox Church which held on 26th of March 2014 held at St. Aphrem Cathedral in Beirut elected Archbishop Mor Severios Hawathe of Baghdad & Basra as the Locum Tenens to the Patriarchal throne of Antioch and All East. The Synod sessions were presided by Catholicos Abune Baselios Thomas I of India who is also the Metropolitan Trustee of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India at .

“As per Article 29 of the Constitution of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The locum tenens means “the place holder” (in Arabic Qa`im Maqām, in colloquial Qaymaqām). The election of the locum tenens has to take place within seven (7) days by majority vote of the bishops. The locum tenens is not permitted to leave the Patriarchate. He is not permitted to make any changes to the Patriarchate, nor can he ordain or take part in financial transactions (Article 32). His main function is to act as a place holder and to convene a Synod to elect the Patriarch“. What the locum tenens should be in the American Orthodox world...