Patriarch Mar Awa III Royel stresses need to unify Assyrian national discourse and joint action in Australia

SYDNEY — During his apostolic visit to Australia, Mar Awa III Royel, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, on May 4, met with representatives of Assyrian political parties, associations, community workers, and school administrators in Addisa Hall, Sydney. The Patriarch was accompanied by the Archbishops of the Church in Australia, Bishop Meelis Zaia (Sydney) and Bishop Mar Benjamin Elia (Melbourne).

In his address to the meeting, His Holiness stressed the need to unify Assyrian national discourse and joint action in Australia, a country that offers many opportunities for success, on the material level, on the ecclesiastical level, and on the level of Assyrian national aspirations. On a national level, it is urgent to protect the Assyrian nation and lead it to existential safety, to pursue real work to elevate the nation, said Mar Awa III Royel. The need to overcome differences and causes of division is therefore great. Only in this way can the Assyrian nation look forward to a bright future.

The Assyrian Church in the Australian diaspora has an extensive presence with dozens of congregations across Australia, including community centers and primary and secondary schools. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are 40,218 Assyrians in Australia. Most originate from Iraq. For the year 2016, the Australian Bureau of Statistics data mentions 20,316 speakers of Sureth or Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (2011: 15,571) for the greater Sydney area (state of New South Wales) alone. The figures from 2016 will be considerably higher in 2022 due to the massive emigration in recent years by Suraye from Iraq and also Syria.