Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim): Christ is Here

 Arabic original here.

Christ is Here

The question is, where is Christ? His answer: Christ is in many places you would not think.

Christ is not in our flashiness. Christ is not in worldly glorification.

Christ is not in what people call elevation and sublimity.

He is in the places where no one dreams He would be. He is in the face of the poor, in the face of the sick. He is in the face of the oppressed. Where people flee, there we find Christ.

We search in vain for Him in comfort. He is in toil more than He is in comfort.

We search in vain for Him as being necessarily in knowledge and among the learned. He is in the simple heart.

A learned person who does not know how to simplify his heart and to let his soul be at rest is not learned.

Christ is at doors that the world thinks are closed, but are half-open in a hidden way so that the Savior may enter, as he entered through the locked door.

Therefore, we are called to look around us with all realism.

You cannot imagine that Christ did not come through these people or those people.

You must expect Him in your neighbor. You must expect Christ in every person you pass in the morning, whether, whether or not he is worthy of you saying "good morning" to him.

Christ is a surprise for those who do not await Him, a surprise in every face, a surprise in every eye, a surprise in the little child, a surprise in the grownup man.

We are called, then, to really, inwardly learn to answer, "Where is Christ?"

Christ is not out in the air. Christ is here. In the faces of many of you, Christ is speaking, and in the hearts of many He is dwelling.

Who are those many? I do not know, but He is here.

Christ is in living hearts.

Christ is in living souls.

Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim): Glory in Quality

Arabic original here. For the twelfth anniversary of his repose on December 5, 2012.

Glory in Quality

I believe that we Christians have not understood and have not completely realized that a Christian creates a world that is different from-- indeed, that contradicts-- the world in which everyone lives. The world in which there is God's strength is the basis, and not any other strength in the world. It seems that much of the time we seek to be strong in the world, as though we did not really believe that the cross is strength and that Christ is with us at all times.

I will dare to say that much of the time we are swept away in the world and we betray our Lord and make something other than Him our lord.

Christianity is not an empire. Christianity is not an army or a weapon and it is not glories in the way people understand them. Christianity is profundity, quality, authenticity and purity. Someone who is afraid for his glory to be in his quality and his purity is someone who will have a difficult time being a Christian.
The home, the home, the world begins in the home. In your home, what do you do? The Lord Jesus did not form an army when He came into the world. Rather, He chose a pure group, no more than a dozen people, and through them He spread faith and salvation into he world.  Why doesn't every lady and every father in his humble home make an effort to spread the name of God and the name of the Lord Jesus, and so be points in the world, points that are blessed and holy. The world will not be all holiness. That won't happen. The Bible tells us that on the day of Christ's second coming to judge the living and the dead evil will practically dominate every person. Faith will not be strong in the world. Just the opposite-- it will be weak. So let us be content to work in our homes, in ourselves, in our children, where we can make a house for the Lord.

The Patriarchate of Antioch in 1992: An Interview

 Translated from: Service Orthodoxe de Presse no. 168 (May 1992), pp. 10-12.

A Visit to the Orthodox of Syria and Lebanon by Sister Irène and Sister Laetitia

Nuns of the monastic Community of the Resurrection in Conques-sur-Orbiel (Aude), received into the communion of the Orthodox Church in 1989, Sister Irène and Sister Laetitia have just spent almost three months in Syria and Lebanon. Invited by Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch, under whose canonical obedience their community falls, they had the opportunity during their stay to visit most of the dioceses and monastic communities found in these two countries.

What impressions did you get from this immersion in the life of the Church of Antioch?

What first emerges from this stay is the joy of having touched the place of our filiation from the Church of Antioch in the person of its patriarch and to have felt, in contact with the bishops and faithful, a deep spiritual affinity, the fruit of the grace of these long years that we have lived the Antiochian tradition [NOTE: the nuns had previously been Melkite Catholics before converting to Orthodoxy], to the point that several people, priests and laity, were astonished to realize that we had the same approach as they did to important problems.

We had the good fortune to meet frequently with Patriarch Ignatius IV and to hear him express his thought about ecclesiastical life. It is always a wonder to approach such a man of God, with such a rich personality: at once capable of prophetic intuition and rigorous reasoning, a man of asceticism and great compassion, a church leader who always has the feeling of being at the people's service, remaining accessible to all.

What's very striking is the great simplicity of the bishops and clergy and their closeness to the people. In several dioceses, we noticed how easy it was for the faithful to come greet the metropolitan and to present their problems to him. It is true that, in these countries governed by personal law, the bishop must also take on an entire social, administrative and judicial role.

Antioch, one of the most ancient Christian churches, founded by Saint Peter even before that of Rome, where, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of Jesus first received the name "Christians"... How is it now?

One of the things that also struck us was that everywhere one touches Christianity's continuity since the beginning of the Christian era: Damascus, site of Saint Paul's conversion; Maaloula, where Saint Thecla, Paul's disciple, lived and died; in the ruins of ancient churches that go back to the fourth century in Hawran and to the fifth century in Northern Syria; and finally in the permanence of Christianity: the foundation of several current monasteries goes back to the sixth or seventh century. Thus it's a land where Christianity has always been alive down to our own time and where it has known how to keep the integrity of its faith beside Islam. Still today Syria is 20% Christian Arab, the great majority of whom are Orthodox. These Christians, for the most part, are descendants of the first Christians, just like in Lebanon.

We have seen that today these communities are very much alive. The first thing that catches the eye, both in Syria and Lebanon, is that the churches are full, that young people go to them in just as large numbers, if not more, than older people and that the faithful commune in droves. In Syria, the divine liturgy is celebrated in all parishes on Friday (the weekly day off) and on Sunday. There's almost as many people in the church on both days. Nevertheless, the number of churches is doubtless insufficient for the number of Christians.

One also feels the continuity of Christianity in the fierce determination of many Antiochians to preserve the best of the tradition of the Fathers while nevertheless not being closed to new forms that questions of history and the modern world often require of any authentic witness. Due to our ignorance of the Arabic language, we were unfortunately not able to have access to the impressive number of books, magazines, parish bulletins, etc. published by various dioceses, by the monasteries, or by the Orthodox Youth Movement, the MJO, which transmit the thought of this new "School of Antioch", the first fruits of which we can find in the books by Patriarch Ignatius, the articles of Metropolitan Georges Khodr, and some articles already translated or written in French.

This language problem also did not permit us-- especially in Syria but also in Lebanon-- to have the all the contact we would've liked to have had with all the youth engaged in the life of the Church, who know longer know a foreign language, but who in many dioceses are entirely devoted to pastoral or missionary activity.

We have also perceived continuity in this desire to remain in this land, despite the vicissitudes of history, both ancient and recent, and thus, in these ambitious construction projects (Balamand University, new monasteries, churches, many recently-opened schools, hospitals and social centers, etc.) launched by the patriarchate and other dioceses just to help the Orthodox people (and their fellow-citizens) to better overcome the temptation to emigrate which exacerbates the worsening of the economic situation, especially in Lebanon, as well as fear of the future.

How are things exactly in Lebanon? Were you able to notice a real recovery?

We were touched to see the extraordinary vitality of the Orthodox institutions despite the difficult conditions of life (almost no public services, which is to say only a few hours of electricity per day, little or no mail distribution, very poor telephone service, roads in bad condition, etc.). In this context, it is amazing to see the marvels of imagination deployed to find resources and at the same time to innovate in charity work. For example, a workshop for producing uniforms that depends on the Diocese of Beirut and at first worked exclusively for Saint George's Hospital, today has fourteen employees: it furnishes uniforms to various establishments of the city and with its profits allows clinics to be financed.

You have certainly had a lot of contact with the new monastic shoots that are appearing in the Patriarchate of Antioch. What can you tell us about them?

First off, let me tell you how much we felt at home in all these monasteries, received with great brotherly love.

As you say, it's true that new communities are currently appearing in Syria and Lebanon, to say nothing of the monasteries that are a little older such as Saint Jacob, near Tripoli (it's the most important, with 18 nuns) or Saint George at Deir el-Harf. There are young communities that are still small in number, often with no more than three to five monks or nuns. In these beginnings, most of these monasteries were inspired by Athonite monasticism, with a rather marked ascetic character, but which dos not impede these lively and very frequent contacts with the people of God and in particular the youth, among the most engaged in the life of the Church.

The abbots of several of these monasteries do work of real spiritual fatherhood: they receive many and gladly leave their monastery to make regular visits to different dioceses or centers of the MJO in order to hear confessions, lead spiritual retreats or participate in one or another gathering. The abbots of the main monasteries have been regularly gathering together for the past several months and have started to publish a collection of ascetical and spiritual works (two volumes of about 100 pages each have appeared in the past four months).

Although many people are convinced that these shoots that are faithful to traditional monasticism will, in maturing, reveal more and more of the riches particular to Antioch's monastic tradition, many laypeople have expressed to us a desire for another form of religious life as well. Some of them hope for a visible religious presence-- a sign of the physical presence of the Church-- in the Orthodox institutions (hospitals, schools, etc.). Others emphasize the necessity of pastoral activity among women that could only be carried out by consecrated women (several studies and research seem to have been conducted on reestablishing the order of deaconesses). More generally, one feels the need for a monastic witness that is accessible to people and which can help them to live in a Christian manner.

How will your monastery follow up on the contacts established during this visit?

The patriarch envisages a stay in our monastery for young women from Syria or Lebanon who are thinking about the religious life. We hope to be able to help them as much as possible to develop their vocations which they will live out in their own country in the service of the Church.

His Beatitude also hopes that all the Antiochian Orthodox living in France will know that our monastery is their monastery, that despite the current cramped location they will be welcome if they visit us and that we hope that in the future we will be able to expand our welcome, if God gives us the means.

(Interview conducted by Raymond Rizk)

Daniel Ayuch: The Vision of Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch about the Diaspora

Daniel Ayuch, "The Vision of Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch about the Diaspora. A Thematic Survey and An Analysis of His Homilies and Publications," Ökumenisches Forum 43-46 (2024), 157-171.

Abstract:

There is a new demographic distribution of the Orthodox parishes in the world, and today the Orthodox people form part of different cultures, some of which are far away from the traditional milieu of the Mediterranean basin and the ancient world. Patriarch Ignatius noticed the depth of this radical change in the structure of the Church he had to serve and planned for the challenges to come not only for Antioch but also for the Pan-Orthodox world. The present article offers an analytical study of his sayings according to three essential aspects: the unity of the Antiochian See, witness, and education, and the future of the diaspora.

 

Read and download the article here.

Patriarch Ignatius IV's Commandment

Arabic original here.

The Patriarch's Commandment

Perhaps one of the concerns that most occupied Patriarch Ignatius IV of blessed memory was making "Orthodoxy not only an element of the present and the past, but also a constituent element of the future." He always reminded that "it is fundamental for us to know what belongs to the tradition of the Holy Spirit and the Orthodox Church and what fundamentally belongs to historical circumstances, environments and cultural traditions," stressing that "change requires more adhesion to  Orthodox dynamism instead of adhesion to ancient texts tied to specific theories and a specific mentality." He also thought that in order for the Church to undertake her role, she must study "the various situations and circumstances that Orthodoxy knows today" and formulate "a new adaptation" because it is not sure "that analogy is the best manner in which to find the answers" to all the challenges of our age.

He observed that "We Orthodox behave in many areas as though God spoke once and after that kept silent and as though the Holy Spirit came down once upon the Church. Everything after it is an extension of this one and only event." He expressed his conviction that "It is necessary for us to do something serious to realize the witness of Christ's Church here and now." In words resembling a commandment, he said, "Behind us is a long past. Now we must face the future by rising up to the foundation and reaching the level of the starting-point... We need to push true tradition to the heart of the Church. This is what we confess whenever we say that the Lord is alive in His Church and that wherever there is Christ, there is the Church... Christ is before us and not behind us. We do not need to turn around to see Him."

Patriarch Ignatius was constant motion with deep roots, always reaching forward... May his memory be eternal.

Patriarch Ignatius IV on Antiochian Identity

Arabic original here, with thanks to Jad Ganem.

Antiochian Identity

In his response to those who think that "If we speak as Orthodox, then we must be like each other," Patriarch Ignatius IV of thrice-blessed memory rejects the opinion that all the world's Orthodox must say the same thing about everything and stresses that Orthodoxy as a faith is one, but the Orthodox are not one. He sharply criticizes those who "believe that if you are different from them, you are not Orthodox enough," regarding this as "evidence that they themselves are not Orthodox enough. People are different and each expresses the one faith in a different way." He pauses on Antiochian identity and opines,

"From the age of the Apostles, Antioch was a bastion of Christians' encounter with peoples of different origins. Our church grew using the Greek language for a long time in an Aramaic and Syriac, then Arabic cultural environment. This multicultural context, alongside the fact that we have never been the church of a state or an empire, helped to form our identity, which is characterized by our deep conviction that the Gospel stands above every racial barrier and our unshaking attachment to Orthodoxy which, with its deep respect for the special gifts of every culture, should not discriminate between Greek, Russian and Arab, but rather just the opposite: it should believe that "Christ is all in all" (Colossians 3:11). Our identity is a loving openness toward the other churches and denominations, in constantly-renewed hope that we are working as servants of reconciliation. Due to historical contingencies, we have become 'the Church of the Arabs'. We have learned to always live face-to-face with believers of other religions and especially with Muslims. Although we have a long list of martyrs, we have chosen by our own free and resolute will to coexist and engage in profound dialogue without hatred, without compromises and without fear. On numerous occasions, when we were confronted with the spirituality of the Crusades and holy war, we chose firmly and without hesitation to commit to the spirit of the Cross. Our mission today is to continue to bear witness to all who speak Arabic in the Antiochian space and the western world, just as our vocation is to perfect this witness through full communion with the other concerned Orthodox Churches and cooperation with all."

Jad Ganem: A Prophetic Stance

Arabic original here.

A Prophetic Stance

In a lecture by Patriarch Ignatius IV of blessed memory about "the feelings of the eastern churches" that he gave in Vienna, he lingered on the situation of the Church in Antioch, which "is made up of five churches, each with its own juridical organization and each with its own adherents, synod, patriarch, bishops, liturgy, holy canons and variants in what pertains to the faith and its institutions." He then outlines the historical reasons and crises that led to this situation "without any form of current or retroactive hostility" before summing up by saying, "Let us state it directly: Antioch would not have divided into five patriarchates if an Antiochian council had been held to face each of the crises that we have mentioned, free from any outside political or ecclesiastical pressure." He adds, "Conciliarity must be the starting-point for the new Antiochian unity because the cause of every blow-up was the effacement of the sense of conciliarity. At the foundation of every rift lies a wound in the communion of love, followed by or initiated by opposition in the formulation of the faith. Instead of the pastors' love dressing this double wound, it considered it untreatable and moved on to the level of the canons. The churches on each side withdrew themselves into a sort of canonical self-justification." This prophetic stance, these golden words that do not grow old no matter how much time has passed, must be read by the leaders of the Orthodox world today. Perhaps they might learn a lesson and hurry to hold a Pan Orthodox council that would be free from political pressure and complexes about numbers, a council convened in an atmosphere of prayer, accompanied by the fervent prayer of the faithful, a council open to the activity of the Holy Spirit, whose members lay aside the language of "rights" and go forth like doctors to dress the wounds and work to heal them, a council that transforms the current difficulty into an opportunity to leap forward. Perhaps we will not go on to fragmentation, but rather depart to chant in a harmonious voice, "Christ is risen!"

Fr Georges Massouh: Beware of Religious Nationalisms

Arabic original here.

Beware of Religious Nationalisms

Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim (d. 2012) believed that the chief task of Arab Christians lies in translating Christianity for the Arab world, a Christianity that addresses the Arab mind and Arab culture. By this he did not mean translating ancient, particularly Greek, texts into Arabic, but rather by this call he meant that "we arrive at there being a Christianity in which the one being addressed is the Arab person." In his opinion, Christianity is still intellectually closed-off and "Christians still speak to Christians, as though they were living in a bygone era." Therefore, Hazim believed that "our duty is to be able to speak to Muslims" (Ignatius IV, Mawaqif wa-Aqwal, Balamand University, 2001, p. 103). The question then for him is a question of formulating Christian discourse in clear Arabic language that reaches the mind of the Arab and also his heart.

Patriarch Hazim is a great figure of the Orthodox Church who contributed to the Church's revival during the second half of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. He played a major role in ecumenical work and the rapprochement between the churches, especially in the World Council of Churches and the Middle Eastern Council of Churches and he was open to dialogue with Muslims about fundamental issues with which people are occupied in their daily lives. For this reason, he set his sights on working for a Christianity that speaks in Arabic and is understood by Christians, Muslims, Jews and all those who live in the Arab world.

Hazim did not speak of "Arab nationalism," but he did speak of "Arab Christians" and did not attack Arab nationalism. He was not an Arab nationalist, but he was an Arab and he did not boycott Arab nationalists. The priority for him was Christ and His Church and therefore he did not believe in other ideologies that might hide Christ from others. For him, the Arabic language was a means and not an end in itself. It is a means for conveying Christ as Christians believe in Him to the hearts and minds of Muslims. The Arabic language is the vehicle of Christian evangelism in this region because it is the language shared with the majority of Muslims.

Some Christians in our country, rejecting any common denominator with non-Christians, claim that their roots are non-Arab and this is their own affair that we will not discuss here. At the same time, they claim that they have nothing to do with anything that is Arab, since they are Greek-Byzantine-Romans, Syriac-Assyrian-Chaldean-Arameans, or Phoenician Maronites, and God knows best... All of them criticize any national belonging, affirming their ecclesio-cultural choices while adopting a religious nationalism that is closed in on itself. They flee from a nationalism that brings Muslims and Christians together to a unilateralist nationalism that only unites them with members of their sect. A nationalist ideology in the face of a nationalist ideology!

In reality, this nationalism resembles nothing other than Jewish religious nationalism. About this, Patriarch Hazim said, "Those who isolate themselves, whoever they may be, internalize a sort of admission that they are 'God's own chosen people.' This is what the Jews fell into doing, but Christians may also fall into this and Muslims may fall into it as well. Therefore in this region we must a laboratory in which no one may isolate himself, lest each community come to reject the other communities and instead of being receptive to them and dialoguing with them."

The only thing that distinguishes Arab Christians from other Christians in the world is their Arabic language, which makes them responsible for conveying Christ to all who speak it. Is it possible in our country to spread the Good News of Christ in Greek, Aramaic, Armenian or any other ancient language? We are proud of our Church's history, her heritage and her ancient language, but we do not want to kill our present and our present mission in order to revive languages that make us prisoners to history.

Patriarch Ignatius IV and Education

Arabic original here, for this week.


Ignatius IV: A History-Making Patriarch

by Dr Elie Dannaoui





When talking about education in Lebanon, the Russian consul in Beirut (1865-1882) Konstantin Petkovich describes in his memoirs the deteriorating situation of the Greek Orthodox community in comparison to other Christian communities. The diplomat explains "this strange phenomenon of ignorance and negligence on the part of the upper spiritual leadership of the Orthodox community, since they were not concerned with opening any popular Orthodox schools or defending their flocks from the influence of Protestant missions and engaging it."  The consul continues his analysis, "... in this matter, also at fault are the wealthy Orthodox who prefer-- on account of their miserliness, the weakness of their patriotism, and their lack of ambition-- to send their sons and daughters to the Catholic or Protestant educational institutions that are active in Mount Lebanon or Beirut, instead of operating their own schools. To the sum of money that they pay can be added the sums of property and real estate that the monasteries and others could offer for this goal, enough to open the best Orthodox schools."

Perhaps these words were true in the second half of the 19th century or earlier times when the Orthodox, like other Christians and Muslims of Lebanon, suffered, even if to relative degrees, from various kinds of intellectual impoverishment. However, it is certain that after Ignatius IV such words are not true of the "Orthodox community", as the Russian consul called them. This is not to say that educational institutions began during the time of Patriarch Ignatius IV of thrice-blessed memory. It is only to point out the creative dimensions that this patriarch gave to the Church's mission in society, as exemplified by his view of the role of the Church's spiritual leaders, the role of the faithful, and their relationship with each other. These aspects meet the three weaknesses indicated in the Russian consul's memoirs-- the ignorance and negligence of the spiritual leadership, the faithful's reluctance to give, and the "negative role" of Western missions among the Orthodox through the activity of educational institutions.

Patriarch Ignatius read history with incarnational eyes, rooted in Antiochian theology. He loved the history and heritage of his Church. He did not stop at the threshold of understanding, but rather used it as a gateway to a new history that he created with his word and deed. He provided a model for the educated, educating bishop, in contrast to the picture painted by the Russian consul. By establishing an Antiochian institute for teaching Orthodox theology at Balamand, he strove to sew the seeds of change by preparing priests in whom are joined piety, knowledge, and culture. The contours of this image are embodied in a comprehensive approach, the least that can be said of which is that it contains an integrated, revivalist plan whose axis is the mind enlightened by knowledge and the heart beating with faith. On this solid basis, Ignatius IV pushed ahead with operating and establishing monuments to knowledge, starting with Annunciation School in Beirut, then the Saint John of Damascus Theological Institute and the dream university on Balamand hill. He went against the flow of history and in this way he made history.

Perhaps the Russian consul hit upon one of the aspects of the crisis of all Lebanese during the 19th century, when their poor lacked the help and support of the well-off members of their communities. However, it is certain that many elements of this equation changed with Patriarch Ignatius. He taught all to give and they gave generously and unconditionally. The heart of the matter is that he is the one who gave. He is the one who took initiative. He is the one who to a great degree contributed to demonstrating the Church's boundless giving. More important than all this, he gave himself to the other, in the image of his Teacher. He proved that personal conviction about the matter was enough to convince others of it and that one who has consecrated his life to a noble cause and has given of it limitlessly, to him should be given limitlessly in return.

The second thing that I would like to pause over is represented by his view of the other. To return to the Russian consul's memoirs, Mr Petkovich calls for the establishment of Orthodox schools and faculties for teaching the children of the Orthodox and helping them to avoid the "danger" of western teachings in missionary schools. Patriarch Ignatius IV was not a traditionalist who based his choices on reaction. Rather, he was innovative, always taking things to a higher level. In this way too he went against the path of many and perhaps this was the most outstanding aspect of his thinking and activity. Yes, he founded schools, faculties, and a university, but it was not only for instructing the children of the Orthodox. It was also to defend them against the real danger: insularity and isolationism. In word and deed, the patriarch made the institution of the Church into an oasis that testifies to the Lord who redeemed humankind without discrimination. He wanted her to be a meeting-place for brothers and a forge of national unity.

One might ask how this patriarch was different from the others. I think that simplicity is the distinguishing characteristic of this historic personality, a simplicity that contained a consistent combination of seemingly contradictory elements. The patriarch was able to offer them to others so that they could serve a single purpose. At a time when people waver between calls for a return to a certain authenticity, others for facing a desired future, and yet others that try to clarify a blurry present, Patriarch Ignatius addressed the confused people of today in simple words, but that those who know history realize that they spring from a well that goes back deep in history. Others grasp these words looking forward to the future. However, the most important thing is that they benefit people of today through the witness of all those who knew thim. He knew the truth and was set free.

Met. Georges Khodr's Two Tears

From the December 18, 2012 al-Safir. Arabic original here.





As Patriarch John X was elevated upon the throne at Our Lady of Balamand, presiding over the prayers of thanksgiving after his election to the See of Antioch, the "architect" of the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Georges Khodr, let two tears stream from his eyes.

The first tear was for his life-long friend, Ignatius IV Hazim. Yesterday, Khodr realized that he had departed for good and that he had lost someone very dear, with whom he had worked over the decades to construct an Orthodox revival that produced vibrant institutions like Balamand University and with whom he fought to preserve the unity of the Church and to open her to dialogue with other religions.

The second tear was a tear of joy and confidence in the "right-believing" Church, who entrusted the reins of her authority to one of the pupils who drew from his well and from the well of his life-long friend Ignatius IV, and who grew up on the sound thinking of the Orthodox Fathers.

Georges Khodr seemed satisfied, yesterday, at the election of John Yazigi as patriarch, because with him and through him is ensured the future of the Orthodox Church, from Antioch to all the corners of the earth. He expressed to al-Safir his great longing for Patriarch Hazim and his overwhelming joy for the one who, with his faith and profound spirituality, is able to guide the path of the Orthodox Church to a safe harbor. Khodr states that, "In our canons and our theology, there is no continuation to the program from one patriarch to another. Each patriarch has his own program and his own administrative style, within the one faith."

Patriarch Ignatius IV on Antiochian Orthodox Identity

This is taken from an article by Fuad Daaboul in his newspaper al-Anwar, but I have seen bits and pieces of it cited elsewhere. The original context is the late patriarch's response when Elie Salem, a former minister in the Lebanese government and now president of Balamand University asked him, "Who are we?"



We are Antiochians, the descendants of the original Church that Saint Paul founded. We are the Church of the Middle East, one hundred percent Middle Easterners. Here in the Middle East we are in our home. Our hopes are the hopes of our region. Its tragedies are our tragedies, when there is tragedy. We are the original Christians. The others came to us as guests. We welcome them and work with them, but we do not forget our originality and uniqueness. Certainly, the past has been harsh to us. Empires came, threatened, destroyed, then left. We remained, firm in our faith, humble but proud and daring in our convictions.

The Antiochian spirit is an apostolic spirit, leavening like yeast in dough. We are the leaven of this land. We shape the quality and value-- we are not quantities.

The Antiochian spirit affects man in his capacity as bearer of divine truth and the dwelling place of unlimited and unconditional love.

We are Arab Christians. We were here in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon long before Islam. When the Arabs took over, bringing the message of Islam to this land, we cooperated with them and contributed to building the Arab-Islamic civilization that flourished in the Umayyad era (650-750) and the Abbasid era (750-1257). We were the scientific and intellectual intermediary between them and the Greek world. However, we were not only intermediaries. We also made contributions in various fields.

The Arabic language has been our liturgical language for centuries. We played a role in the history of Classical Arabic, just as we played a prominent role in the Arab reform movement that began in the 19th century, following the Ottoman tanzimat reforms.

The future of Jerusalem is the future of the Palestinian people and of the Arab Christians who share with them a long past and limitless future.

For us, Jerusalem is a symbol of man's emancipation, despite oppression and crucifixion. Of all the peoples of the earth, we are the people who most belong to Jerusalem. In the most profound sense of the word, Jerusalem is ours. But it languishes under Israeli occupation and because of repression, the number of Jerusalem's Christians has greatly diminished. The tragedy that is happening in Jerusalem is happening in Palestine as a whole under Zionist occupation. As Orthodox Christians, we do not only bear witness to our own tragedy. We also bear witness to the tragedy of our Muslim brothers in Palestine. The least we can do is to bear witness to truth and justice, the two universal values that are being violated in Palestine.

Fr Georges Massouh on Patriarch Ignatius IV

Arabic original here.


Ignatius IV: Apostle of Diversity and Openness

Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim believes that the chief concern of Arab Christians lies in translating Christianity to the Arab world, a Christianity that speaks to the Arab mind and Arab culture, that strives to convey its dogmas in a clear Arabic language that reaches the Arab mind and heart. By this, he does not mean the translation of texts into Arabic, which has been done to a certain extent. Rather, he means, "that we arrive at there being a Christianity whose addressee is the Arab person."

Starting out from his view of the concern that Arab Christians have toward the Muslims of their countries, Patriarch Hazim does not neglect to mention the negative side of the history of Muslim-Christian relations. After enumerating the controversial issues between Muslims and Christians in the past, the most important of which is Ahl al-Dhimma-- "which ensures protection, but is also marginalizing", he believes that these issues "do not prevent Muslims and Christians from cooperating on a popular level and consciously realizing that they are almost one before God, that they have the same trust in God's care-- humility and submission are the same before God."

Thus, the patriarch believes that Muslims and Christians worship one God and that what gathers them together is this one, unique God who has revealed Himself in history in Christianity and Islam. In his address to Muslim leaders in Taif in 1981, he emphasizes the faith of Christians and Muslims in the one God. He opens his address by saying, "Like you, Middle Eastern Christians aim for the face of God... Like you, we long for the Creator of heaven and earth and seek to please God at all times."

He does not hesitate, when he mentions Lebanon and Jerusalem, "where all the servants of God raise up worship to the one, unique, God," to remind that mutual respect between Muslims and Christians is based on diversity: "The religions are called in principle to gather human forces to aim at sanctification and purification by divine grace. In Jerusalem, there is an important core for diverse worship and diverse presence, while in Lebanon, there is a deeply-rooted, wide, and profound space for  practicing this diversity. In Jerusalem, we seek the face of God, and in Lebanon we seek Him also."

In reality, Patriarch Hazim calls for revealing the presence of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit, "where it appears to be absent or even rejected." With his affirmation of the presence of Christ in non-Christian religions, the patriarch emphasizes the agreement between Christians and Muslims about God's transcendence. This "divine transcendence" may be the most exemplary point of contact between believers of the two religions, since God remains a mystery that cannot be delved or comprehended and drawing near to Him is not realized except through acts of worship and humility.

In this context, Patriarch Hazim warns against falling into various types of "relativism and dissimulation" that some theologians who deny the distinctions that belong to each of the worlds religions can slip. They judge the externals of things without going into their meanings and purposes. If some religious practices intersect or over lap, here and there, one cannot negate differences between religions, both those that may be accidental and those that are essential.

The thing that might best express the thinking of Patriarch Ignatius IV is this declaration, "We call for diversity and openness and this is from the heart of our dogma." Here the patriarch combines two things that outwardly appear to be contradictory-- dogma and openness-- in order to make them complete each other without conflict. Thus, his intellectual slogan, and also the slogan of the Arab Orthodox Church, is: openness without compromising the faith.

Met. Georges Khodr's Eulogy for Patriarch Ignatius IV in Damascus

Arabic original here.





You go up from Antioch to the heaven that the righteous have chosen as their homeland. This is because you have gone from glory to glory, with what the Spirit, the Lord has brought you. I said the Spirit who descended upon your native intelligence and the intelligence that shined within you was a human ascent. But the Spirit came down upon you In Him you had rest and by His favor you reached high levels of knowledge, in depth and balance, and through it you revealed the Gospel to those who were prepared for it. He is avid for the souls who were entrusted into your care as as service to the great Shepherd of our souls.

By His grace you became bishop of Syria, if we can borrow the expression from your patron, who felt that he was called to look over the entire country. The country you are from was the heart of the Christian world for many centuries after the light of the Gospel dawned. Your Lord wanted you to bear the riches of Ignatius of Antioch, Romanos the Melodist, Elian of Homs, Chrysostom, the Damascene, and that great wonder, Maximus the Confessor, who was from Hauran.

As we now bid you farewell, we feel that in one way or another you come from them and that we want to come from them forever, and from you, in the measure that you are their inheritor. Over the course of many generations, master, Antioch was the primary theater for the Gospel and I do not exaggerate if I say that that Christian word, aside from a few lights in Alexandria, was spoken here and that the people tasted its crumbs in other regions.

The great Christian glow in this land  was brought to us by the Gospel, through the great men who sanctified this country. The Lord came to us through you after we came to know you as a servant of the Word.

You were not intoxicated by philosophy, which you learned well. You lived by the Gospel in every thought, to the point that it is possible for me to say that you did not stop at human opinion, since you knew that humans are temporary or transitory, just as you knew that we, the people of Antioch, do not subsist through our bodies, but through every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Indeed, we do not claim that our human aspect is something great. However, we contend that those lasting things within us have come to us from this Gospel that stands beyond the ages and that you yourself only wanted to serve it.

For this reason, from the time when you were teaching children and youth, you desired to focus all your intellectual effort on what God said in His good Book, since you were not patriarch of the Rum, but rather God's patriarch for the Rum. Your Lord did not call them by this name, but rather He breathed this saying into the Book of Acts: "The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch." These dear words mean that there is an unbreakable connection between Christianity and Antioch-- intellectual heritage was trained in asceticism and keeping watch in exercises, day and night, so that your Lord might be glorified from the desert of Syria to our coasts. You watched over all this expanse. The Lord's eyes were upon you and upon us, so that we might remain sincere bearers of the cross of glory toward each resurrection in the heart and mind, so that the face of Jesus may appear, and through it we might live unto ages of ages.

You were born of pure water and the Spirit and you grew up in Orthodox belief and worship such that you trained your taste to lead us in singing. When you came to Beirut as a teenager, you were one of the leaders because of this aspect of worship that was impressed upon your being, such that one can say that with your training in acquiring knowledge, people could discern in your thinking and your words the stamp of the Church.

You took up the clerical robe at the American University and you were distinguished in it and were insistent upon it when you went to France for theological instruction. Upon your return, you were entrusted with the Annunciation School in Beirut. It shined on account of you and you became known as an educator and administrator. This became clear to the spiritual leaders and they entrusted you with lofty responsibilities at the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand until you were given authority over the Archdiocese of Lattakia and then sat upon the patriarchal throne, to shepherd all of Antioch. You lift us up to where you are seated now, in order to seriously follow the path you never strayed from at any stage of your life. Much seriousness comes from this mind, and your Shepherd Christ the Lord is the mind of the Father.

We hold on to everything you have given us, hoping that the Lord will keep us sincere. We shall meet with you, if the Lord desires to perfect us in mercy.

Met. Georges Khodr's Eulogy for Patriarch Ignatius IV in Beirut

Arabic original here. I will also try to translate the eulogy Met. Georges gave in Damascus.




As the Church on earth was receiving great effort from you, the Lord called you to the wedding of the Lamb and to the Church of the righteous so that you can taste their splendor and ever-lasting joy. You speak to us from above to say to us that if we have not sought the lasting good things, we have cast ourselves into nothingness. Your departure was a lesson for us to keep company with those in heaven, so that something of their beatitude might come down upon us.

You want us to keep watch over the word that you have entrusted to us, lest we be tempted by meaninglessness. If we look to you, we know that you raise our eyes to your Lord.

It may be difficult to practice for departure, but you have taught us that there is no chasm between those who belong to Christ. You went ahead of us to the kingdom that is to come, to keep company with the saints. We long for you and for them, and we are eternal through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit within us.

After being armed with it, you invite us to desire nothing but the face of God. Because you stand before Him, our companionship with you is strengthened and through your voice we come to the pure ones' abode.

In your companionship with them, you would always go back to Christ simplicity, which eliminates any distinction among the bright. What is true intelligence other than the shining of the divine intellect within us? You were not deceived by appearances and their concepts because the remembrance of God was close to you, even though you are of dust like us and knew this. However, you also believed that are called to transcend in order to be robed in light, as the dear Book says, "As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." It is not easy for anyone to abide with his entire being in God's light. But you knew that human intellects-- and with your culture you were among them-- amount to nothing at the decent of the divine Word.

This is on the level of thought, but you understood that you were destined to go beyond all intellect through the outpouring of the Word of God upon you, so that you could be beyond all words. This only happens for one who has robed himself in the mind of Christ.

I say this exhaustively, because you would think over things deeply before speaking about things divine. In the education that you received and the ideas on which you were raised, you started from your own way of being as the place of ascent to things divine. The Antiochian Church, in the ages of its beauty, always in a unique way emphasized human effort in its asceticism, and its striving to speak about God, who cannot be spoken about except after training in love.

Speaking about divine love, which alone is the subject of theology, can only come to you if you have been existentially overcome by love and at that point understand the relationship between obedience to God and speaking about God. However, something remarkable about you is that you did not separate the experience of God within you and speaking about matters of God in the human intellectual terms in which you grew up.

But if the mind is independent, this means that it has not been nourished with inspiration and that it remains attached to the body and the world. Each of us knows that your first cultural garment was philosophy and those who observe you know that this world and its philosophy is not enough and that we are not able to live unless theology is our garment.

This is what was written upon you or written within you, so that it appeared to all that you are also a man of the heart. It was the source of amity within you and you loved some people by the power of the strong feelings that graced you.

This was not only your nature, but part of the very Christian depth of your being. You let your friends enter your heart and you loved them in simplicity. Perhaps this was the predominant virtue for you, and with it you looked upon children and the elderly. With these blessings, we reckoned that you would long remain among our elders, but the Lord takes unto Himself those that He loves very much.

Say to the Savior that we rely on nothing but His mercy for His Church. When will she become, through His mercies, the longed-for bride? Greet those who love for us to join them. May the blessed Lord listen to your whisper that draws us to His mercy.

Carol Saba on Patriarch Ignatius IV

Arabic original here.


Orthodox Words for the Departed Patriarch and the Coming Patriarch

Ignatius IV departed as he lived, in dignity, profundity, and simplicity. I came to know him through books, reading his writings, translating his sermons, and visiting his residence in Damascus in the company of the Orthodox bishops of Paris, and on various occasions. His constant concern was an active and effective Antiochian presence. We cooperated on key issues such as, for example, when he asked me in February 2008 to give a report to the Synod about the situation and challenges in the Diocese of Europe following the repose of Metropolitan Ghufrael Salibi. Last August, we discussed my critical view of the plan for a civil commission for Greek Orthodox in Lebanon. We spoke by phone from Paris at the end of November. He was anxious about the situation in the Middle East and happy about my receiving the French National Order of Merit, which he considered to be a testimony to our Church in the West. One could go on at length speaking of his achievements and positions. He came to us as patriarch in 1979, during the difficult times Lebanon, his second family, was experiencing. His patron, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, became the saint in his exemplary life, establishing an open Antiochian witness, based on authenticity in faith and bold enthusiasm in the world, a witness that speaks the language of modernity, of contact and communication with the other. The departed patriarch, who was of this school, had one great feature and three characteristics that made him one of the great men of the Middle East. The great feature was intelligence in positioning authenticity in tradition and vision. His impetus towards the future always started off from the ground of reality, from profundity of vision and the womb of tradition. He discerned what the Lord asked of him here and now, not as a slave or a hireling, but as a son, active in the Lord's field. As for the three characteristics, they are a dignified presence, profound vision, and a simple existence.

Regarding the patriarch to come, the challenges ahead of him are pivotal and very serious. In the Church, pastoral and evangelical vision must be renewed, communion and and consultation must be established in the Church, along with ways to move forward effectively, with a presence in today's troubled world, a world of contact and communication, and in our troubled Middle East that is experiencing the birth-pangs of a world that strives for true citizenship with equal rights and responsibilities, without religious or ethnic discrimination. In our Middle East today, there are serious dangers, competing national and regional interests and comprehensive plans that kill freedom with a new personality cult and religious or political absolutism that forces the individual who does not belong to submit to it. In this context, the new patriarch will quickly realize that the grace of guiding the ship that will be poured out upon him is, today more than any time in the past, a double-edged sword that must be wielded with firmness of faith and purity of spirit, churchly boldness, rapid discernment, comprehensive thinking, programmatic action, constructive realism for cooperating with modernity, and renewed vision of the world today. He must first of all be a loving father, a perceptive organizer, someone who puts everything into harmony, not a leader in the bureaucratic sense who limits authority to himself and those close to him. He must be inspiring and cultivate discernment among his children, not a manager who dictates from above, turning the Church from being guided by spiritual leadership to being ruled by top-down, worldly authority. In key issues, he must be a speaker and a listener who does not restrict speaking to himself. He must speak last, after listening to what the Spirit inspires to all, and then his world should speak for the entire Church. He must be more than a patriarch. He must be an active prophet, reproaching, disciplining, and showing the straight path. He must engage with the Church and society with a personality, but without falling into a cult of personality. He must be a conscientious organizer who strives to give Church a sound institutional basis, without falling into the trap of institutions that replace the spirit with the letter. If he is the loving father, the head of the council, master of the institution, an organizer of communion and a motivator of talents, then there is no fear that the sword is in his hand, the sword of the Lord that rightly divides the word of truth. At that point we will have a churchly and spiritual framework for an active and pioneering Antiochian Orthodox witness in the Middle East and the world. It will be a witness where our Church's tradition is not a petrified inheritance, sealed and closed in on itself, which we inherited from fathers who were a beacon in word and deed in this Middle East. Rather, it will be a constantly-renewed movement of faith, open to the world and to others, a language of discourse that makes us able to advance national cooperation in our Middle Eastern societies, in the service of man, his freedom, dignity, and the flourishing of his life. We hope to God that our coming patriarch will have authentic faith and intelligence in negotiating all these challenges and that he will speak with our hope.

Videos of the Funeral of Patriarch Ignatius IV in Beirut

Footage of the liturgy this morning in memory of His Beatitude Ignatius IV Hazim, at St Nicholas Church, Ashrafiyya, Beirut:

Footage of the funeral that followed immediate after the liturgy:

Footage from the funeral in Damascus:

Raymond Rizk Remembers Patriarch Ignatius IV

French original here.


In Memoriam: Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch (1921-2012)

I will leave it to others, and they are many, to talk about the achievments of Patriarch Ignatius over his long career as bishop, then as patriarch of our Church of Antioch. I prefer to limit myself to the man who hid, in shyness and discretion, behind various guises that sometimes gave a false impression of his true personality. I prefer to give a personal testimony about the one whose affection I have never lacked.

The furthest back my memory can take me, I see Father Hazim, as he was called then, playing an important role in initiating a large number of us into Orthodoxy and our engagement in Church activity. One of the oldest members of the Orthodox Youth Movement, at the beginning of the 1960's he had become a must for all those who were concerned with the renewal of the Patriarchate of Antioch. At the time he was director of the Orthodox School of the Anunciation in Beirut which had become, thanks to his dynamism and his efforts, one of the country's best schools. He was overflowing with activity. He could be found everywhere, not only within the local Orthodox church, but also through Syndesmos, the friendships forged at the Institute Saint-Serge in Paris and his participation at various international conferences within the universal Church. Alongside his peers, he represented our church in cultural and ecumenical circles, which at the time were taking their first steps in Lebanon. He played a driving role in the committee in charge of the Saint John of Damascus Orthodox Theological Instititue at Balamand, which he directed for years thereafter. Then no one was talking about an Orthodox university, but I suspect that he already had the idea and was waiting for its hour to come.

Many people who, like me, joined the ranks of the Orthodox Youth Movement at that time, especially in Beirut, had him as their spiritual father, 'team leader', and inspired and inspiring director. Alongside Father Georges (Khodr- now metropolitan of Mount Lebanon), the late Archimandrite Elias (Morcos- founder and abbot of the Monastery of Saint George at Deir el-Harf), Albert Laham, Costy Bandaly and his late brother Father Paul (who became metropolitan of Akkar), Youhanna Mansour (now metropolitan of Lattakia), and Spiro Jabbour (now a deacon and monk at Deir el-Harf), he was one of the most striking living incarnations of the Antiochian revival. His returning to God today and this list that I just cited remind me of all those luminous faces, these 'elders', our 'fathers', whose memory will remain alive in our heart and our Church for many years. With pain in my heart, I realize that soon the Lord will have called all of them to Himself and that we will have to be worthy of the inheritance that they have-- or will have-- left us.

Still at university, we would meet with him every week as a group to meditate on the Gospel, to discuss various issues in society and the Church, or just simply to listen to him. Unaware of the time and forgetting his many other responsibilities, we made these meetings go on, without any objection on his part.

Sundays and every Wednesday during the week, we attended the liturgy he celebrated at the church attached to the Annunciation School, where many faithful from other parishes would come just to hear his sermons. Always concise, clear, insisting on a key idea, they reminded us that the Gospel's message concerned everyone. At that time sermons were rare in our churches. When they did have them, they were packed with ideas and sometimes banalities, as thought if by saying too much, one could say everything.

During the summer, he was the parish priest in a resort town, Sofar, where some of us would spend the summer. This proximity during the long months of vacation and the fact that he took part, in addition to the liturgies and meetings, in our outings and other social activities, brought us and our families even closer to him.

This 'companionship', which lasted many years, allowed us to know that he lived an ascetic life. If we had only seen him eat so little, we might have doubted it. But I would like to share an experience that made a lasting impression on me. I had gone to his home, at the school, to accompany him to some meeting. He was always on time and he always taught us to respect schedules. But, that night, contrary to his habit, he seemed to want to draw things out. Since I was pressing him, telling him that people were waiting for him, he simply admitted to me that he was waiting on his only pair of shoes, that he had sent to get repaired, to be returned to him! Subsequently, I had many occasions to realize that, despite the honors that surrounded him, he knew how to keep the simplicity of life that he experienced in his native village in Syria. Having become bishop, then patriarch, he rubbed shoulders with the 'greatest', but he never lost his humble approach to people and things. Consumer society exasperated him. Through his way of life, he wanted to teach us that one could oppose it and limit its excesses. What more can be said? I believe that this humility and this simplicity of life will be much more important in the eyes of God than the achievements and works that he undertook, without denying their merit.

To conclude, I would like to call attention to some little-known writings of Patriarch Ignatius regarding relations between the Orthodox Churches, the diaspora, and relations with the Church of Rome. I think that they will shed new light on his thought and his activity and will show that certain initiatives, subsequently taken in the Orthodox and Christian world, had their origins with him.

In a letter, addressed to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew September 20, 2001, he writes about the situation of the Church on the American continent:

"If we earnestly and prayerfully desire the day when God will grant us (the mother-churches)  to define together the outlines of a single church on the North American continent, present and future relations between each jurisdiction and its mother-church should not be perceived as simply administrative and jurisdictional relations. They should rather be oriented towards a reinforcement of the profound and vivifying tie that these jurisdictions maintain with apostolic tradition through the intermediary of their mother-churches. We should remember that the path towards Orthodox unity in America lies in going forward with a stricter application of the decisions of the pre-conciliar conference and attempting to developing them by leading SCOBA to create even more platforms for encounter between Orthodox in order to encourage more exchanges between theological institutes, dialog between monasteries, maximum coordination between youth movements, a common English translation of liturgical texts, a systematic creation of sister-parishes, etc. Unity should be made through small steps, certainly around SCOBA but also on the level of all the people of God. These initiatives will have to be accompanied by a deepened reflection on the ties that must be maintained with the mother-churches and the richness that they bring to all the jurisdictions, if they desire to share among themselves. In this domain, we must develop in continuity. Working for unity on American soil does not mean cutting off ties with the mother-churches, but redefining them in a dialog of charity and in communion. All these initiatives will create a true dynamic of unity on American soil, at the same time anchored in apostolic tradition and insuring that the graces acquired in the New World will bear fruit. It is this dynamic that will lead our faithful to welcome with praise and joy that unity at the time when the Lord judges good to give it to us."

In another letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch on November 8, 2001, he admits that, "The situation of discord and lack of real harmony that prevails within each of the Orthodox churches and among them is an object of scandal, not only for their own faithful, but for all Christianity."

He continues, "Before the seriousness of the present situation of our holy Orthodox Church, the countless divisions that tear Christ's garment, and the urgent need to put an end to internal dissentions, I permit myself to 'prostrate myself in spirit before you and supplicate you' to take the necessary initiatives for a general reconciliation of the Orthodox patriarchs and churches, whatever the price. The credibility of our witness in the eyes of our faithful and the world is at stake. We must bear witness in our actions and not only in words to the hope that is in us. Today history is knocking at our doors. Will we turn a deaf ear?"

Regarding relations with Rome, he states in a letter to Cardinal Kasper on November 7, 2001, "Let us join together in listening to the Spirit to dare to go forward more earnestly along the path of our reunion in the Lord... I am convinced that our one and only Lord will continue to 'lend a hand' and that He will know how to guide us along the path of unity."

In a letter to Brother Enzio Bianchi, prior of the monastic community of Bose on October 26, 2001, he reaffirms that we must not "give up, but rather go forward so that God's will may be done in each of us and in each of our churches. May it give us the courage to wait for the day to come-- and we hope that it is near-- when each of us will discover that the Christ who dwells in his heart is the same Christ who dwells in the hearts of others and that we have no other choice but to recognize each other as brothers."

In his November 2001 letter to Patriarch Bartholomew, at a time when the work of the mixed commission with the Catholics was deadlocked, he said, "The current deadlock... should not prevent us from trying to go forward together in elaborating a common witness and tackling the problems that are tearing people apart. And trying to lead our respective faithful to remove from their heart any worldly hate or animosity. In order to do it, it would be necessary to promote a culture of friendship and love. It would be necessary to encourage brotherly relations in actual reality. Our theological statements about that which is common to us-- and it is enormous-- should be translated into life through the recognition of the other as brother in the Lord Jesus, despite differences or mishaps. Prophetic gestures, heavy with symbolism, need to be put into place. The Christian people should be given strong signs of hope. These signs and these gestures should be found together... It is at this price that consciences will be shaken and that hearts of stone will rediscover that they are made of flesh. It is at this price that we will help the churches to escape this status quo that could not distance us any more and make our evangelical witness less credible."

In an address given before Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on October 22, 2001, he spoke of the necessity of condemning terrorism, but continued, "It is also necessary to condemn the violence that some states wield against individuals and against other states, especially violence against the poor. We equally need to sympathize with the oppressed who seek their liberation through resisting the occupier and to work to end the massacre of innocents in countries where children and elderly, as well as other human beings, are dying freely. Justice and not vengeance must be done... This quest for justice must be promoted along with all men and women of good will... rejecting reckless compromises and initial reactions.

Let us preach the conviviality of nations... The current troubles could last and lead to even more afflictions. The churches' witness is called to be more eloquent, more pressing, and more effective. Our most ardent desire is to bring together all those who want to live as Christians, according to the spirit of the Gospel, in prayer and fasting, so that God will have mercy on us and grant us to combat the grip of evil that seems to us to be increasingly dominating humanity."

These eloquent and prophetic words are better than any other testimony about Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch. There is nothing left for me to do but to pray from the heart, "May his memory be eternal."

Statement by the Orthodox Bishops of France on the Repose of Ignatius IV Hazim

French original, in pdf, here.


Great grief has struck the entirety of the Orthodox Church in the world!

His Beatitude, Ignatius IV, primate of the Church of Antioch and All the East was born in heaven at Saint George's Hospital in Beirut, on this day when we commemorate Saint Sabbas the Sanctified.

The Orthodox Church of Antioch, where Christians were first called by this name (Acts 11:19-26) and which was founded by the chiefs of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, now loses her primate and spiritual guide during the very sorrowful period through which the Middle East and particularly Syria are passing. Thus the entirety of the Orthodox Church loses in Ignatius IV of Antioch one of its greatest and most prominent leaders.

Born in 1921 in the village of Mhardeh, in the province of Hama, Syria, Ignatius IV of Antioch was elected Orthodox patriarch of Antioch in 1979, during a pivotal and sensitive period in the life of that Church, in a Middle East constantly menaced and shaken by wars, unrest, and greed. With great dignity, but also with unfailing courage and determination, he directed the renaissance and positioning of that eminent Orthodox Church of Antioch, whose roots go back to apostolic times and whose leaders are the successors of Saints Peter and Paul.

Ignatius IV, who often loved to repeat that, "without love we are corpses and our world, cemeteries," was a great pastor, a guide for the Christians of the Middle East, but also a tireless builder. His contributions to the spread of the Orthodox Church of Antioch are many and innumerable, as they are for the entirety of the Orthodox Church in the world. He was notably one of the founders in 1942 of the Orthodox Youth Movement of the Patriarchate of Antioch, which contributed to the renewal of the spiritual and liturgical life of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Then, he founded the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Orthodox Theology at Balamand, Lebanon, as well as Balamand University, which has since become one of the most important academic and university campuses in the Middle East. He was also one of the founders of the world Orthodox Youth Movement, Syndesmos. The late patriarch was also close to France, a country that he often liked to visit, from the time he began his theological studies in 1945 at the Saint Serge Institute of Orthodox Theology in Paris.

The Orthodox bishops of France share the Orthodox Church of Antioch's pain. They relate to her grief and address our deepest brotherly condolences to all the hierarchs, pastors, and faithful of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, particularly His Eminence Metropolitan John (Yazigi), as well as his auxiliary bishops, including His Excellency Ignatius (El Hochi) in Paris, and all the clergy and faithful of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Europe.

The bishops and all the Orthodox faithful of France share in the prayer of the Orthodox Church of Antioch for the repose of the spirit of His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch.

Memory eternal!

Paris- December 5, 2012

Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim Suffers Stroke

Please pray for Patriarch Ignatius!

From the Daily Star, here:

Patriarch Hazim in hospital after stroke

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim, 91, was admitted to a hospital in Ashrafieh Tuesday after suffering a stroke, sources at the hospital told The Daily Star.

The sources added that Hazim, who is currently in the Intensive Care Unit of Al-Roum hospital, is in critical condition.

Born in the village of Mhardey near Hama in Syria, Hazim was the son of a pious Arab Orthodox family and was attracted to Church service from an early age.

Other news reports mention that the Patriarch had been transported from Damascus to Beirut (at least a 2-hour trip) for treatment following the stroke, which is worrying.

UPDATE, from the Arabic here:

 St George's Hospital in Beirut just announced, "Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim is suffering from a stroke that affects his consciousness and his ability to move. He is in a stable condition and is undergoing intensive treatment in the hospital's intensive care unit. He is being treated by a team of specialists from St George's Hospital."

The office stated that a number of political officials have visited him in the hospital to check on him, the most prominent of which are: Minister of Health Ali Hassan Khalil, deputy Atef Majdalani, former ministers Ibrahim Najjar, Michel Eddé, Bechara Merhej, and Elie Salem, chairman of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audi.

Other visitors included: Adib Forzoli, Anis Nassar, Mazen Abboud, Alfred Aramouni, Nicholas Tueini, Dr Michel Najjar, Dr Camille Nassar, and Brigadier General Walim Majali.

Likewise, the following bishops got in contact: Paul Yazigi, Youhanna Yazigi, Antoun Shadrawi, Joseph Zahlaoui, and Alexander Mufarrij.

The Patriarchate of Antioch and the Syrian Crisis (from an-Nahar)

The following two articles are from the Orthodox-owned and strongly anti-Syrian Lebanese daily an-Nahar. Depending on how you want to read the prejudices of the newspaper and its anonymous sources, it could be understood in a number of ways. The opposition activist's statements about the situation in Homs especially contradict reliable reports from Orthodox, Catholic, and journalistic sources. The two articles can be found here and here. See also Fr. Touma Bitar's reflection on these articles.

Ignatius IV: The Church’s Position is Expressed Exclusively by the Patriarch

At a meeting of the trustees of Balamand University, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Ignatius IV Hazim, affirmed that “the Church of Antioch’s position regarding [current] events is expressed exclusively by the patriarch and was defined by the Holy Synod at its meeting that was held in Lebanon last year.” He stated that “the opinions of some bishops in Syria and Lebanon do not necessarily express the positions of the Church of Antioch regarding [current] events and changes.” An-Nahar has learned that this position by Patriarch Ignatius IV targets statements made by bishops in Syria that were treated in media outlets as authoritative positions.

“Christ’s Shabiha” in Syria: Loyalist Militia suppresses Christian Opposition

Hazim’s Position Sets the Record Straight about a Bishop’s Statements

By Pierre Atallah

The latest words of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Ignatius IV, gave pause to observers when he said, “the Church of Antioch’s position regarding [current] events is expressed exclusively by the patriarch and was defined by the Holy Synod at its meeting that was held in Lebanon last year” and pointed out that “the opinions of some bishops in Syria and Lebanon do not necessarily express the positions of the Church of Antioch regarding [current] events and changes.”

A lay official with close ties to the church institution explains that “Patriarch Hazim’s position is the historical political position of the Church that is careful to have the best relations with changing rulers and to not conspire against them but at the same time to not stand as an impediment against the movement of peoples and change.” In his opinion, this very theological position continues to be the subject of discussion in the Church between those who consider it to be a “dhimmi” position and those who consider it to be a traditional position, depending on the words of the Gospel, “Leave to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Consequently, the Church condemns oppression and violence and does not intervene in politics except when they oppose morals and values. The Orthodox layman returns to the text of Patriarch Hazim’s announcement, explaining that “the one who speaks for the Church is the Holy Synod, which meets twice a year. Any position aside from this that comes from a bishop, a priest, or a deacon, during his daily activities, claiming to speak in the name of the Church and conflicting with the positions of the patriarch and the Holy Synod is a personal opinion and the one expressing it alone bears full responsibility for it.”

For the official, matters are clear. The Church does not equivocate in the matter and it sees that there are some who  support the regime in Syria in the manner of bishop L[ouka] Kh[oury] and there are those who think like him and support it in practical ways. On the other hand, there are those who strongly oppose the Syrian regime, foremost among them Michel Kilo, Georges Sabra, and a not insignificant proportion of clergy and laity. However, the most important thing is that the Church is not a political party or organization and so it does not want to show its people that they are minorities, but rather citizens who interact with their surroundings and their people. This is what the last meeting of the Holy Synod announced when it called on members of the Church to “participate in change”

“Christian Shabiha”

An Orthodox Syrian activist who follows closely the details of what is happening on the ground explains that “Positions that support the Syrian regime are only coming from Bishop L[ouka] Kh[oury], while the Church as a whole does not want the bishops to be tied to any particular political situation, realizing the critical and sensitive nature of the Syrian situation. This is the reason for it keeps the best relations with the Muslims, not wanting the positions of some extremists to influence in any way the whole group and thus damage the history of brotherhood and common life throughout the Arab world. The Orthodox were and continue to be the pioneers of Arab nationalism, the struggle for Palestine, and confronting Israel.”

The activist adds that talk of Christian support for the Syrian regime is not precise. He points to a militia group that was founded by the regime and given the name “Shabiha of Christ,” confirming that “it is composed of two groups: supporters of the Baath Party and the regime apparatus in Damascus and the region of Wadi al-Nasara in northern Syria.” He recounts that this Baathist militia “limits its concern to attacking Christians in the opposition and to respond to any Christian Syrian movement.” Orthodox and Maronite religious leaders in Wadi al-Nasara are very much aware of what is happening and they rushed to respond to this group, while matters are different in the capital where the bishop L[ouka] Kh[oury] openly expresses his support for the regime and his support for the shabiha in this.” The activist affirms that “the majority of Christians in Syria seek a life in security, quiet, and peace with all components of the Syrian people without any discrimination. Those who openly express their support in an explicit way are few, while a significant proportion stands in the ranks of the opposition, especially the youth, the intellectuals, and the artists, in the ranks of the traditional left and independents.”

Regarding what has been said about expulsions in Homs, the activist stressed that the Christians were displaced from the city, like many of its people, due to heavy shelling and a lack of supplies. As for talk about houses being occupied, he affirms that it is exaggerated and that it amounts to around 15 homes. They were not seized because of their owners’ being Christians, but because they had been taken as military positions. In this regard, the activist stated that a number of Orthodox priests are holding out in Homs with a number of elderly men and that the Patriarchate sends them rations to be distributed to all citizens through parishes, knowing that the Patriarchate has great experience with supply chains, possessing the human and administrative resources and authorization from a number of Christian aid organizations. This comes from the experience it has acquired working with Iraqi refugees.

The activist closed by pointing out that what has been said about expulsions contradicts the reality of excellent relations that exist between Muslims and Christians in Damascus and its outskirts, Homs and its outskirts, and Lattakia. He pointed to the villages of Mhardeh (Patriarch Hazim’s village), al-Suqaylabiyya, and Kfarbaam, where, according to him, thousands of Syrian Christians live in the best relations with their Muslim neighbors.