From the Third Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East

This is a profound set of decrees. Any one of these items in another Church would be an entire article on its own. It's amazing, really.

You can read the entire thing - including the prefatory bits here (PDF).

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(Assyrian Church) - The Third Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East
Convened under His Holiness Mar Gewargis III, Catholicos‐ Patriarch

The following are the decrees of the Holy Synod:

A. General Decrees

I. Concerning Dioceses and the Election of Bishops:‐

The Holy Synod decided concerning the fulfillment of Decree 5, No. 1 of the Holy Synod of 2016 concerning the bifurcation of the Diocese of Europe into two dioceses. Therefore, it is decreed that the western part of Europe shall henceforth be an independent diocese, titled ‘Diocese of Western Europe’, and which shall be comprised of the faithful in England, France, Belgium, Austria, Holland and Greece. The episcopal see shall be in the city of London (Great Britain). In addition, the Holy Synod defines the other diocese as ‘The Diocese of Scandinavia and Germany,’ governed by His Grace Mar Odisho Oraham, and comprised of the faithful found in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany. The episcopal see shall remain in Stockholm.
1. The Holy Synod assigned bishop‐elect, the Very Rev. Narsai Youkhanis, to the newly created Diocese of Western Europe. The episcopal consecration shall take place on the Sixth Sunday of the Resurrection, i.e. May 26, 2019.
2. The Holy Synod elected the Rev. Fr. Isaac Tamrs as bishop for the Diocese of Baghdad, having also jurisdiction over the faithful of the Assyrian Church of the East in the Ukraine and in Georgia. The episcopal see shall be the capital city of Baghdad. The consecration shall take place on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

II. Concerning Saints and the Procedure of Canonization

The Holy Synod established a formal process for the canonization of saints in the Church of the East. Therefore, when the holy Church wants to formally canonize one of the faithful, the process established by the Synod must be followed. Therefore, in accord with the process established by the Synod, the following were officially included in the catalogue of saints of the Church of the East: the late Mar Abimalek Timotheus (1878‐1945) of blessed memory, the metropolitan of Malabar and All India. His commemoration shall be observed on May 1st of every year. Also, the blessed Mar Yosip Khnanisho (1893‐1977), of hallowed memory, is officially canonized as a saint of the Church of the East. His commemoration is the second Sunday of July of every year.

III. Concerning the Promotion of Theological Learning

The Synod confirmed the founding of the 'Nisibis Theological College' based in Sydney, Australia. The Synod asks desires that it be supported by the bishops by sending clerical students to this institution, particularly those found in the West. This theological institution is also open to all of the lay faithful and all those interested to further their learning.

IV. Concerning Clergy

The Holy Synod reviewed the matter of those priests who were suspended by the Holy Synod of 2015 (Decree 10). Therefore, as a sign of charity and spiritual fatherhood, the Holy Synod absolves these priests and lifts from them their suspension as of the date of this decree. However, the practice of their priestly ministry rests with the local bishop of the diocese in which they are found. Nevertheless, this Holy Synod desires to reiterate the importance of the fact that priests must not abandon their parishes, especially in the Middle East. The faithful in the parishes must not remain without the services of the Church administered by the priests. This is in accord with the canons of the Church. If anyone has more on this, please comment.

V. Concerning the Youth of the Church

The Holy Synod decreed the convocation of an international youth conference for 2020, to be comprised of representations from the youth of the Church worldwide. His Grace Mar Abrs Youkhanan will organize this conference (in Erbil).


VI. Concerning the Canonical Collections of the Church

1. The Holy Synod decreed that His Grace Mar Paulus Benjamin shall form a committee to formulate a modern compendium, or canonical collection, of the synodical canons of the Church. This work shall be completed within five years, and a report shall be given to the Holy Synod.
2. The Holy Synod decreed that His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia shall be responsible for revising the 1986 Diocesan Constitution, which concerns the dioceses in the western hemisphere. This revision shall be forwarded to the Holy Synod for confirmation within one year’s time.

VII. Concerning the Liturgy

1. The Holy Synod gave permission for the translation of the Holy Qurbana into modern Assyrian, prepared by His Grace Mar Awa Royel. This translation shall be reviewed by the committee headed by His Grace Mar Isaac Yousif, which shall then be put forth for ecclesiastical approbation within three months. Then, the text shall be put forth for approval by the upcoming Holy Synod.
2. The Holy Synod confirmed that the liturgical committee, under the presidency of His Grace Mar Awa Royel, is to prepare the rubrics of the celebration of the Holy Qurbana of the sacred Mysteries, with accompanying commentaries. The aim is to prepare all of the clergy of the Church worldwide to celebrate the rite in one uniform fashion. This text shall then be forwarded to the review committee, headed by His Grace Mar Isaac Yousif, and put forth for ecclesiastical approbation at the upcoming Holy Synod.
3. The Holy Synod gave its approval for the official translation of the Gospel Lectionary into modern Assyrian by His Grace Mar Isaac Yousif, to be approved by the Holy Synod.

VIII. Concerning Christian Morality

The Holy Synod discussed at length various matters concerning Christian morality, and the moral challenges which the faithful of the Church encounter on a daily basis. Particularly discussed was the matter of marriage after the ordinance of God, being one of the foundations of the Christian life and family—in accord with the Sacred Scriptures and the teaching of the Assyrian Church of the East. In order to confirm to the faithful of the Assyrian Church of the East the teaching concerning of our holy Church, the Holy Synod commissioned His Grace Mar Abrs Youkhanan to prepare a formal Synodal statement demonstrating the Church’s teaching and official position on matters of Christian morality.