H.E. Mor Boutros Kassis installed as new archbishop of Syriac Orthodox Church in Aleppo, Syria

H.E. Mor Boutros Kassis was installed as archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Aleppo on 15 October. He has served the community as a temporary bishop for the past seven years. The installation service took place at St. Aphrem Cathedral in Aleppo, where His Holiness Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, conducted the ceremony.

The service included a procession where two archbishops escorted the new archbishop among the people. A commendation letter was read, proclaiming Mor Boutros Kassis as the Syriac Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo and Environs. His Eminence Mor Boutros Kassis delivered a message expressing gratitude to the Lord for his new responsibility.

During a procession in the streets of Aleppo, archbishops from the Syrian Orthodox Church escorted the new archbishop to St. Aphrem Cathedral. The event marked a significant moment for the Syriac Orthodox community amid ongoing challenges in the region.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed joy at the installation of H.E. Mor Boutros Kassis. Sauca reiterated calls for the release of Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi, who were kidnapped by gunmen on 23 April 2013 while returning from the Turkish border to Aleppo.

“We pray for these bishops and for all who have been unjustly detained and forcibly disappeared, reduced to silence and oblivion, not only in Syria but throughout the Middle East,” said Sauca. “The archbishops are not forgotten; we continue to appeal for their safe return.”

The WCC 11th Assembly stated that the worldwide ecumenical fellowship has always sought solidarity with Middle East Christians, who continue an unbroken line of faithful Christian witness in their countries. These Christians make vital contributions to the vibrant diversity and development of their societies.

“Upheavals, violent extremism using religion as justification, ongoing military occupations, discrimination and systematic violations of human rights, economic crises and corruption, absence of the rule of law, and other factors have contributed to an existential crisis for all in the region,” the statement reads.

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