SULAIMANI (ESTA) — New Patriarch for the Assyrian Church of the East was inaugurated on Monday in a ceremony, in which President Nechirvan Barzani called on Christians to stay in Iraq.
Mar Awa III was inaugurated as the 122nd patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East during a ceremony in Erbil.
On Wednesday, the Assyrian Church of the East elected Mar Awa Royel as their new patriarch in a ceremony held in St. John Baptist Church in Erbil’s Ainkawa neighborhood, after Mar Gewargis III Sliwa stepped down due to health reasons.
Monday’s event was attended by the Region’s president, government officials, religious figures and foreign diplomats.
Barzani wished Mar Awa III “success with his new responsibilities,” according to the Region’s presidency.
He also hoped the Christians would stay in Iraq, saying “we will all work together to develop the country”.
