Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan presides over permanent synod meeting of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch

BEIRUT – Patriarch Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan held in Beirut the permanent synod of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch and All the East. During the Synod, the gathered bishops discussed ecclesiastical issues and challenges facing the churches of the East and West, and the preparations for the general Roman synod to be held by Catholic Pope Francis next year.

Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan opened the meeting with prayer, and then discussed with the permanent synod members the affairs of the Church in the countries of the East and the diaspora, the challenges that the Church faces, and the aspirations it seeks to achieve.

After that, the assembly took several necessary decisions and measures for the good of the Church, and then the Patriarch concluded the meeting with prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord, as well as thanking the permanent members of the Synod for their participation in a spirit of brotherly love and a sense of responsibility.

The Syriac Catholic Church follows the Easter Syriac rite and separated from the Syriac Orthodox Church about two centuries ago. The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch is also called Patriarch of Antioch and all the East. The Syriac Catholic Patriarch is based in Beirut, Lebanon, and the Church has approximately 250 thousand members worldwide. The city of Baghdede (Qaraqosh) in Iraq is overall-majority Syriac Catholic.