Commemoration of 1915 Sayfo Genocide held at newly sanctified Syriac Orthodox Mor Jacob Serouji Church in Göppingen, Germany

GÖPPINGEN, Germany — Following the sanctification of the Mor Jacob Serouji Church in Göppingen, Germany, the martyrs of the 1915 Sayfo massacres were commemorated during Sunday’s Mass.

Father Melki Tabar addressed the congregation, recounting the atrocities faced by their ancestors, including murder, displacement, the erasure of their rights post-war, the extinction of the Syriac language, identity, and heritage, the destruction of churches and monasteries, theft of property, school closures, and the renaming of their people.

During the Mass, representatives from the European Syriac Union (ESU) in Göppingen provided food in honor of the martyrs’.

In related news, Mar Julius Hanna Aydin, the official spokesperson for external relations of the Derian Church, spoke at the Mor Yohannon Defuna Church in Delmenhorst, emphasizing the importance of remembering the Sayfo massacres. Accompanied by deacons, a prayer service was held for the repose of the martyrs’ souls.