Assyrian Church of the East Consecrates Mar Abris Awshalem as Bishop of Erbil, Iraq, Diocese

Assyrians in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq marked what Kurdistan24 described as a historic moment on Sunday with the consecration of Mar Abris Awshalem. The ceremony took place at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral in the Ankawa district. It was attended by the Mar Gewargis III Sliwa parish, Kurdish officials, and a number of prelates from Syria, Iran, Sweden, Canada, Australia and the United States.

The newly consecrated bishop will head the Diocese of Erbil and its environs for the Assyrian Church of the East, according to the report.

Evan Jane, the media spokesperson of the Assyrian Church of the East, told Kurdistan24 that Iraqi governments, especially the Baath regime, had repeatedly oppressed Assyrians throughout history. He said they had destroyed many of the group’s villages in Erbil, leading to the displacement of many Assyrians in Iraq. Jane said that displacement had left the position of head of the Assyrian Church of the East vacant for a time. He said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani had played a significant role in helping to fill that position. The report presents these as Jane’s statements.

Archbishop Nicodemus Sharaf Daoud, the Syriac-Orthodox Bishop of Mosul, told Kurdistan24 that the KRG does not discriminate among its citizens on the basis of religion or ethnicity, and that it treats citizens on a human rights basis. “It’s all we want as Christians,” he said. The reference to protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3) fits the report’s account of displaced Assyrian families and the Christian community’s appeal for fair treatment.

An EU official praised the Kurdistan Region for creating an environment welcoming to Christians, noting that the region had become home to a large number of Christians. Clarisse Pásztory, head of the EU Delegation – Erbil Liaison Office, said it was “excellent to see that we have a vibrant and engaged Christian community.” She also said that another bishop in Erbil was “wonderful” and that the developments were good news, showing growth in the Christian community in Kurdistan rather than only bad news. Pásztory said the KRG had been very generous in welcoming many Christians who fled from the Islamic State (IS) from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. She added, “I think Erbil probably has the largest Christian town in Iraq.”

According to Khalid Jamal Albert, General Director of Christian Affairs in the KRG’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Kurdistan is now home to almost 320,000 Christians living in different provinces.

Source: Read the original report