BELGIUM: Syriac Chaldean Priest Idris Gabriel Emlek passes away at 58

MECHELEN, Belgium — Father Idris Gabriel Emlek, priest of the Syriac Chaldean Church in Mechelen, Belgium, passed away peacefully at the age of 58 on 1 April due to an illness. The funeral service was held at noon in the Chaldean church of Mechelen.

Father Emlek was born in 1964 in the village of Harbol in the Hakkari province of Turkey. His father died while he was only a child, and his mother took care of him and his siblings.

Idris was interested in the Syriac language from an early age, learning the eastern dialect of the Syriac language under the supervision of priest Dawud Guneş.

His interest in the priesthood and the Syriac language prompted him, at the age of 15, to travel to Germany. Here, he and several fellows from Turkey studied the Syriac language in great detail with the aim to become priests under the supervision of Archbishop Pawlus Karatay.

Just before the turn of the century, Father Emlek returned to his homeland of Turkey and married Vercin Filiz, with whom he had four healthy children.

In 2010, he became a priest of the Chaldean Church in Istanbul. He then moved to Mechelen, Belgium.

Two years ago, he contracted an illness from which he would not recover.

SyriacPress and Suroyo TV extend their heartfelt condolences to his family and to the Syriac Chaldean Church.