Metropolitan Severius Moses of the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church sends letter to Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II
Mor Severius Moses – Metropolitan and Primate of the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church
Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church – 31/5/14
Read PDF Version of the Letter to Patriarch of Antioch
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Afrem II Kerim
Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Whole East
We ask for your apostolic blessing and greet you in the love of Jesus Christ, our God.
Holiness, first of all, we congratulate you for your election as patriarch and pray to God that He strengthen you in this office and you be His holy instrument in all.
Our Church is within the Syrian Orthodox Church the branch which has devoted itself to the evangelization of nations, like St. Paul chief among the apostles. Without getting tired, our Church tries to fulfill the order of our Lord and God Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15): “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Thanks to the Lord that He in His divine love strengthens our Church and appoints her in His vineyard. Today, people from different countries, languages, and cultures belong to the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church, that Church which differs in no way from your Church. It is moving to see and hear how the divine hymns of our holy Fathers St. Ephrem and St. Jacob of Sarug are sung and prayed in European languages. In order to fulfill this mission, among other things, many of our books have been translated in our church in few years into European languages, both literally and metrically, so that nothing would be lost from the ancient and honored Tradition of both of our Churches.
Unfortunately, we can not deny that there is a sad break between your and our Church which is a thorn in the Body of Christ. We never wanted to have this break, especially because we are one and the same Church. From our heart we desire for all of us peace and unity within the Syrian Church which has always been a suffering and tortured Church. In the unity, all can give a more authentic witness of the One Lord and God. We don’t ask for admission and the transfer of already existing structures within your Church. We wish for us unity and concord.
Within our Church, we have monasteries and churches, and our Church, as mentioned above, devoted herself to Non-Syrians, among other reasons, not to cause a schism within your Church. As an approach towards your Church, we even have already dissolved about two years ago all Syrian communities we had in our Church. We have done the same with our Indian communities in Europe as an approach towards the Syrian Church in India.
How could the unity between our two Churches look like? The structures within our Church could be maintained in order to show clearly that we continue the service of the different peoples we started with, without interfering with your existing dioceses for the Syrians. That way everything would go on as it is now, but with the big difference that we are no longer two, but one Church that devoted herself to people of different cultures and languages, without intermingling. We lay emphasis on that, for we know how important it is for your Church that cultures do not intermingle.
Holiness, in recent years we from our side have often tried to overcome this break between the two Churches. From your Church, however, there was never an approach. Again we have made the first step, and we wish very much that you go down in history as that patriarch who reunited the various Syrian Churches to one Church. We wish for you that in this matter you be a light for a visible unity of the Church. In humility we hereby declare that since the early days we have forgiven all what has been done to us and our Church so severely. We have forgiven and we forgive again. We also ask for forgiveness in the name of our crucified Lord. Our Church is not going to be the stumbling block against a unity of the Churches, the dialog for unity, however, must be founded in mercy, love, and justice. This is the foundation upon which one can build.
This letter is written out of love and not out of desperation, this letter comes from the heart. If from your Church no unity is possible, so this was again our attempt to move out the thorn of the Body of Christ, so that His Body heals again at that place. If no unity is possible from your Church, two parallel Churches will coexist as it is now. Two Churches that have the same Divine Liturgy, the same holy fathers, and the same holy ancient and honored Tradition. Two Churches in whose veins the same blood flows. Two Churches that worship the same and the One Almighty Merciful God and have Him as the High Priest. May God help us all! Amen.
Especially in this divine Holy Week and the coming glorious Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord we ask for your fatherly blessing. We also pray for you, for your fellow brothers in the Episcopal office, and we bless all the priests and faithful who are entrusted to you in your Church.
Mor Severius Moses
Metropolitan and Primate of the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church
Source:
Independent
