wfn.org | Syrian Orthodox Leader for Cooperation with Adventists

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

August 30, 1998
Adventist Press Service(APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH LEADER WELCOMES COOPERATION WITH 
ADVENTISTS
98/08/04

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, (ANN/APD) Metropolitan Gregorios 
Youhanna Ibrahim (Aleppo) of the Syrian Orthodox Church 
welcomed the opportunity for greater cooperation with the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church during a visit to the Adventist
World Church Headquarters on July 2.

"For the Syrian Orthodox Church it is a new day to have a 
relationship with the Adventist Church. We need to work to 
develop better relationships between Christians," said 
Ibrahim, who is metropolitan of Aleppo, Syria, noting that the
Syrian Council of Churches has 11 different denominational 
groups.

Explaining the history of the Syrian Orthodox Church, 
Metropolitan Ibrahim noted that the Church was frequently
persecuted but remains "open," with around 90,000 adherents. 
The Church still uses Aramaic in its services, the language 
spoken by Christ.

Responding for the Adventist Church, Gerry Karst, assistant to
the president, welcomed the group from Syria, which also
included Reverend Fayiz Hunain of the Presbyterian Church in 
Syria, as well as Razic Syriani, youth director for the Middle 
East Council of Churches, and Dr. Mekhael Asaad, head of the 
Ephraim dispensary in Aleppo.

"We have looked forward to this meeting for a long time," said 
Karst, who previously worked in the Middle East. "We hope this 
friendship will grow as we are brothers in Christ."

The group has visited Adventist institutions in California, 
Michigan, and Florida. At the close of the meeting, 
Metropolitan Ibrahim presented a plaque of the Lord's Prayer 
in Aramaic, which he also read aloud. 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 

The Syrian Orthodox Church traces its history to A.D. 37 and 
holds the traditions of St Peter's work. The church suffered 
severe persecution during the struggle against Hellenistic 
domination at the time of the council of Chalcedon, and later 
through Mongol invasions and Turkish rule. The patriarchate
had to be moved several times until it was established in 
Damascus in this country. Syrian liturgical and theological
life flourished until the 13th century but steadily declined 
afterwards. The monastic movement produced many universally 
acknowledges saints and contributed enormously to the creation 
of a rich liturgical tradition. In 1665, the Antiochian church 
came into contact with the ancient church of St Thomas 
Christians in India, and the West Syrian liturgy was thus 
introduced to the Christians in South India. Though the Syrian 
church is vastly reduced in number because of Muslim 
domination, it has a considerable diaspora in the US, 
Australia and Europe. The Syrian Orthodox Church joined the
World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1961, at the New Delhi 
assembly. [APD]