SYRIA: First woman pastor in National Evangelical Presbyterian Church ordained in Hasakah

HASAKAH, Syria — In an unprecedented event in Syria, Mathilde Michael Sabbagh was ordained in the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Hasakah as the first woman pastor in the history of the Church in Syria.

Sabbagh was born in Hasakah in 1990. She graduated from the Faculty of Arts, English Literature Department, at University of Holeb (Aleppo). She obtained an MA in Theology from the Faculty of Theology of the Near East in Beirut in 2016.

Since 2016, Sabbagh has worked as a pastor for the Presbyterian Church in Hasakah but has only been officially ordained a few days ago.

In an interview with Sputnik about society’s view of the first woman ordained as a pastor, Reverend Sabbagh said:

“Any position of responsibility carries many challenges, the first of which is society’s view. The role of women is different, especially married women, who also have responsibilities towards their families. The church service requires complete dedication, and the challenge lies in giving enough time for all these responsibilities.”