His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the
Patriarch of Antioch and all the East rests in peace.
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I
Iwas, the 122nd successor to St. Peter in the Apostolic See of Antioch,
completes 25 years in the Patriarchal See on the day of the Feast of Holy
Cross, 2005. The Universal Syrian Church with its flocks spread over many
nations, celebrates this unique historic occasion, of His Holiness’s Silver
Jubilee of the Patriarchal enthronement, with great fervour and enthusiasm. It
was on September 14, 1980, the Holy father was enthroned as the Patriarch of
Antioch and All the East and the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Syrian Orthodox
Church. He is one of the very few primates of the Syrian Church who have been
in the Patriarchal office for an entire quarter of a century. As a true
Shepherd, His Holiness has led the Holy Church to greater glories in these
years of his Patriarchal See.His Holiness was born on April 21, 1933 into the faithful family
of ‘Iwas’ in Mosul, Iraq. He was born as the fourth child and was named
‘Seenaherib’ (name of the father of St. Behnam). His Holiness had three
brothers and three sisters. The forbears of Patriarch Zakka, the Iwas family,
originally belonged to Jessera on Tigris; they migrated to Mosul about three
hundred years ago. Some of his ancestors adorned very important posts in the
Kingdom. His grand father has received an award from King Faisal I of Iraq for
his excellence in his job as Chief craftsmen and architect of the State.
The father of His Holiness, Basheer Iwas, who graduated from the
University in Istanbul, the then capital of Ottoman Empire, later became a
Professor in the Military Engineering College there. A faithful member of
Church, he was very enthusiastic in attending the Church Services regularly and
also inspired others to follow his path. It was his ardent desire to mould one
of his sons as a priest to serve the Holy Church. After a few years of
teaching, he left for his home state in Iraq where he started a wood-working
factory of his own. But unfortunately, misfortune struck the family a few years
later; Basheer Iwas died of a Cardiac arrest. His Holiness was only 10 at that
time. Two years later in 1945, his wife, the mother of His Holiness, also
passed away. Thus the young Seenaherib, who later came to be known as Zakka,
becomes parentless at a tender age of 12.After the death of his parents, Young Zakka decided to enter
into the ecclesiastical life, thus fulfilling the wishes of his beloved father.
But then some of his family members who felt bad about the parentless child
being dragged into difficult circumstances, tried to discourage him. However
our holy father, who from the age of six dreamt of becoming a monk, remained
determined in his choice which finally paved the way for the family too to
comply with his decision. Thus he joined the St. Ephrem Theological Seminary in
Mosul in 1946 at the age of 13 and was henceforth came to be called ‘Zakka’.
On November 28, 1948, young Zakka was ordained ‘Koroyoo’
(Deacon) by H. E. Mor Athanasius Touma Kasseer and on February 8, 1953, he was
elevated to the rank of ‘Afodyaknoh’ (Half Deacon) by H.E. Mor Gregorios Paulos
Behnam. The very next year he graduated with a diploma from the seminary.
June 6, 1954, is an important date in the life of His Holiness.
The Holy father accepted the order of monastic life on that day. He was then
21. It was Mor Gregorios Paulos Behnam who ordained him Rabban (monk). His
Holiness recalls this as a very special day in his life. He used to say that he
always felt the God caring him greatly though his parents left him in his
childhood; he prayed to God and He cared him greatly.On December 18, 1955, the new monk was promoted to the rank of
full deacon by H.E. Mor Divanasious Jirges Behanam. In the year 1955, he joined
the Patriarchal Staff in Homs as an assistant to the Patriarchal Secretary.Young Zakka’s performance in schools was always excellent; he
consistently scored high marks. His elementary education was in the schools at
the Al-Tahra Al-Dakhilyah’s church (Our Lady’s church) and Mor Touma’s school
(St.Thomas school) at Mosul. In 1957 he graduated from the college with 97 % of
marks. Thus he completed his studies with success on the fields of history,
philosophy, theology and church-law. He advanced in Syriac, Arabic and English
languages, and received diplomas in each of these fields.Soon after the graduation, he joined the faculty of the seminary
where he taught Syriac, Arabic and the Bible. Little later, Rabban Zakka was
called to the Patriarchate by the then Patriarch of Antioch Moran Mor Ignatius
Aphrem I, one of the most erudite scholars and efficient administrators the
Church has seen in modern times. Rabban Zakka became the second, and later the
first, Secretary to the Patriarch. After the demise of Moran Mor Aprem I, he
continued as First Secretary to the new Patriarch, Moran Mor Ya`qub III.
From 1955 to 1958 Rabban Zakka studied journalism as a part-time
student and took a diploma in journalism. In 1960, he joined the General
Theological College of the Episcopal Church in New York in the United States,
where he studied oriental languages, philosophy and pastoral theology and
mastered in the English language. The college, later in 1983, offered His
Holiness an Honorary Doctorate in theology.
Rabban Zakka travelled widely, both on his own and in the
company of Patriarch Ya`qub III. He
was at that time fortunate to visit all the countries in the Middle East and
the America. In 1962 and 1963 he was delegated by the late Patriarch to attend
the two Sessions of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council as an observer. It
was while at the Vatican that he was called to the Episcopal office.MetropolitaOn November 17, 1963, Rabban Zakka was ordained Metropolitan by
the Patriarch Mor Ya`qub III for the
Mosul Archbishopric with title ‘Severious’. Thus he came to be known as Mor
Severios Zakka.The very next year in 1964 he visited India along with the
Patriarch where he participated in the Universal Synod of the Syrian Orthodox
Church, held in Kottayam. He later assisted the Patriarch Mor Ya`qub IIIduring the consecration of the first canonical Catholicos of Malankara,
Mor Baselios Augen I, on May 21, 1964.On September 1, 1964, during the renovation of the Madboho of
the ancient St.Thomas Church at Mosul, Mor Severious Zakka discovered the
remains of Apostle Thomas in the sanctuary wall. It was a memorable event in
the Episcopal life of the Holy Father. In the first sermon of the Holy father
when he visited India as Patriarch of Antioch in 1982 he said, “When we think
of St. Thomas, our heart is particularly thrilled because we are very closely
connected to St. Thomas. Even though St. Thomas enjoyed his martyrdom here in
India, and was entombed in Mylapore, we were the Metropolitan of the church in
which the holy relics of St. Thomas have been kept for the past many centuries.
One day, unexpectedly, by the grace of God, we were led to reveal the Holy
Relics of St. Thomas once again to humanity. It was unknown to the present
generation, as to where the holy relic of St. Thomas was kept. But in 1964,
according to the will of God, we were able to discover the Holy Relics which
were kept in the walls of the sanctuary of our St. Thomas’ church in Mosul,
Iraq which is the Cathedral church of our Archdiocese of Mosul.”
A portion of this Holy relic discovered by Mor Severios Zakka
was presented to Malankara Church when Catholicos Mor Augen I paid a visit to
the Patriarchate in 1965. In 1994, a small portion of the Holy Relic was again
presented to Malankara to be kept at the ancient Mulanthuruthy Marthoman Church
which is known as the 2nd Jerusalem of the Syrian Church. Three fathers of the
Syrian Church who arrived from Near East were entombed in this church. The Holy
Mooron was consecrated in this church once by Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius
Abded ’Aloho, in 1911. This ancient church has also been the venue for two
historical Synods of the Malankara Church, one in 1876 and the other in 2004;
both were held under the auspices of the Patriarchs of Antioch.
In 1965, Mor Severios Zakka attended the Pan Orthodox meet at
Adis Ababa. He was one of the 15 theologians from all over the world who met
for the unofficial consultations between Oriental and Eastern Orthodox
theologians in August 1964 and later. In 1968 Mor Severios attended the Lambeth
Palace Conference as an observer. He participated in the consultation between
Oriental and Eastern theologians, held again, in Geneva in 1970.In 1969 Mor
Severios assumed the charge of Baghdad & Basra Archdioceses. During this
period he also served as the Head of Syriac Studies and a member of the
educational academy in Bagdad. In the same year he was appointed to the
membership of “Academy of Iraq Culture” and to the presidency of “Academy of
Syrian Language and Culture”, besides being the Chairman of its Syriac Section
and an honorary member of the pro-Oriente Organization in Vienna, Austria. In
1972 he was in Pro-Orinete, Vienna, to give a lecture on “The Church and the
Ecumenical Synod.” Next year he addressed them again, this time on “What makes
a Council legitimate and acceptable.” The topic of his address at the
Pro-Orinete in 1976 was “The need for, and signs of, communion between local
churches.” Following that he was granted their Fellowship. He was also given
the rare privilege of preaching in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, in the
presence of the Cardinal and other Roman Catholic dignitaries, the first Syrian
Orthodox Bishop to be so honoured. In 1976, 1978 and 1979 he served as a
consultant on the Pontifical Commission for revision of Oriental Canon Law in
the Roman Catholic Church.
At Nairobi in 1975 Mor Severios was elected to the Central
Committee of the World Council of Churches, which position he held till his
enthronement as Patriarch in 1980. From 1995 onwards, His Holiness the
Patriarch, is one of the Presidents of the World Council of Churches.The Holy father who has an Honorary Doctor’s Degree in Syriac
Literature from Sweden (Institute of Oriental Studies) and Diploma in Theology,
Philosophy and Canon Law, has many works to his credit. He has published a
series of text books for use in Christian schools. Some of his other major
works are ‘Doctrine of Incarnation and Salvation’, ‘The Seven Sacraments’
(co-authored with Metropolitan Haksaka), ‘Yakoub III: Life
and Apostolic Visit to Middle East and Latin America’, ‘Apostolic Visit of
Yacoub III to
North America’, ‘The Dove by Bar Ebraya, transalation from Syriac to Arabic,
with footnotes and a foreword on the theme of monastic life’, ‘Mor Aphrem the
Syrian’ (published by the Ministry of Information, Government of Iraq, in 1974
on the occasion of St. Aphrem’s Jubilee), ‘Mor Jacob of Edessa’ (633-708 AD),
‘Mor Dionysius Talmahari’ (ninth century), ‘Story of Seven Sleepers-a
perspective from Syriac Sources’, ‘Syrian Orthodox Church through the Ages’,
‘Syriac literature in the sixth century’, ‘Bar Hibarius’. Among his important
addresses includes “Syrian Orthodox Church and Ecumenical Movement”, “Position
and Role of Women in the Church”, “Religious Virtues and Family Welfare”.
As Metropolitan of Mosul the Holy Father took special interest
in youth activities. Under him, the diocese flourished spiritually and
materially. In 1967 he was given additional charge of the European Diocese. In
1969 he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Baghdad and Basra, perhaps the
most prestigious archbishopric in the Middle East. In Baghdad he built churches
and opened secondary schools and high schools. As in Mosul, in Baghdad also he
took keen interest in the spiritual life of the youth.
On June 26, 1980, the Patriarch Mor Ya`qub III passed away and was entombed at the St. George
Cathedral, Damascus. Consequent to this, the Episcopal Synod was called to
choose the new successor to the Apostolic See. The Holy Synod held on July 11,
1980, with His Beatitude the Catholicos of the East Mor Baselios Paulose II in
the chair, unanimously elected Mor Severios Zakka, Archbishop of Baghdad and
Basra as the new Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. This marked the
beginning of a new era in the history of the Church.
On September 14, 1980, Mor Severios was installed as the 122nd
Patriarch of Antioch & all the East, by nameIGNATIUS ZAKKA I, in a
rite officiated by the late lamented Catholicos of the East Aboon Mor Baselios
Paulose II, along with the archbishops of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church.
It was for the first time in the history of the Universal Syrian Church that
the chief celebrant for the Patriarchal enthronement was an Indian.
Since that blessed day, the Syrian Orthodox Church has witnessed
a remarkable revival through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the pastoral
care of H. H. Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. The 25 years of Mor Ignatius Zakka’s
Patriarchate have been eventful and significant. In his very first address
after adorning the Patriarchate, he stressed the need for a major seminary and
centre for the Church. This was a great dream of the new Patriarch. The Syrian
Orthodox Patriarchate after moving from the Monastery of Mor Hananyo (Deir
ez-Za`faran/Kurkumo Dayro) in Turkey, to Syria in the last century, lacked a
proper centre in the new circumstances. It was the Holy fathers’ vision that
filled this gap. He acquired extensive lands, about 20 miles away from Old
Damascus, where he built a magnificent Seminary with all facilities for
theological students, accommodations for the visiting dignitaries, residence of
the Patriarch etc.. Though officially, the Patriarchate still functions in the
St. George Cathedral, Bab Touma, in the city of Damascus, His Holiness resides
at the Mor Ephrem Seminary in Ma`arat Sayyidnaya, in the suburb of Damascus, Syria.
The Church which was in turmoil for a while because of
persecution, is now witnessing a revival with establishment of churches and
institutions in all parts of the world where the Syrian Christians has
migrated. The largest congregation of the Church outside the Middle East and
India is now situated at Germany where about 100,000 Syrian Orthodox Christians
has settled. Similarly the Church has grown to other nations like Holland,
Australia, USA,
Canada and South America. And in all such countries, Monasteries, churches and
other institutions have come up. Young bishops selected and ordained by the
Holy father increased the pace of growth in all these places.Despite his busy schedule, His Holiness has written many
articles on a variety of subjects, in Syriac, Arabic and English. Selected
articles and sermons of the Holy Father is to be published soon by the St.
George Church, Chicago.
On July 26th 2002, His Holiness installed Mor Dionysius Thomas,
the president of the Episcopal Synod of Indian Church, as the Catholicos of
India with the title Baselios Thomas I. This was a great event in the history
of the Church in India. The new Catholicos was consecrated as the immediate
successor to the late Mor Baselios Paulose II who led the enthronement ceremony
of His Holiness in 1980. Now the Holy Synod of the Universal Syrian Orthodox
Church consists of 41 prelates besides the Patriarch and the Catholicos, of
which 22 were ordained by our Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas.
Prof. John Kurakar
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