News from the Orient – June 21, 2024

In this week's news from the Orient:

March for the Syriac Genocide

On Tuesday, June 18, 350 Syrian Christian scouts marched in commemoration of the Syriac genocide in Aleppo. The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, His Beatitude Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, was present. Between 1915 and 1918, the genocide of the Syriacs and Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire, also known as the "Sayfo," caused over 500,000 victims.

This genocide has left a lasting impact on the Syriac communities, leading to diaspora and ongoing struggles for recognition and justice.

Ordinations in the East

Several ordinations have taken place in the East in recent weeks. On Saturday, June 9, seven new deacons were ordained by His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The newly ordained belong to the Salesian family and come from different countries; they are Indian, African, European, and Filipino. The next day, Basel Baransi, a young deacon, was ordained a priest in the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Finally, on Saturday, June 15, Mar Gewargis III Younan, Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East, ordained Edmond Narsi as a deacon at the Catholic Church of Notre-Dame-du-Val in Bussy-Saint-Georges in the Paris region.

Inauguration of the Mar Mattai Quarry

On Monday, June 17, in Iraq, the new Mar Mattai stone quarry was inaugurated in the presence of the Consul General of France in Erbil. On the lands of the Syriac Orthodox Monastery of Mar Mattai, this quarry now supplies the stone-cutting workshop that has been present for several years.

This project, led by the Œuvre d'Orient and funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq following the victory over Daesh, as well as to create jobs and stable economic resources for the surrounding Christian villages. A total of 24 people are employed in trades that have been practiced for generations in this region.