Assyrian Church of the East postpones special session to select new patriarch due to spread of coronavirus in Iraq

ANKAWA, Iraq — The Secretariat of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East has announced the session to choose a new patriarch will be postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus in the cities of northern Iraq.

The special session was scheduled for 18-25 April by His Holiness Patriarch Mor Gewargis III Sliwa to find his replacement.

The Secretariat explained that after receiving reports from local government officials about the spread of the coronavirus in cities across northern Iraqi and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Patriarch wrote to senior members of the Church clergy through the Secretariat on 7 April to ask for their opinions on the continuation of the session. The majority were in favor of postponing the session.

The clarification concluded that the Holy Synod will be postponed to a more convenient time later in the year. The Patriarch will announce the new date of the session in consultation with the members of the Holy Synod.