PATRIARCH ZAKKA ON THE CONFISCATION OF ST GABRIEL

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Your Excellency,

Greetings! We are writing this letter to bring to your kind attention
the recent developments that is taking place in connection with our
Mor Gabriel Monastery, also called Deyrulumur, in Midyat, Turkey. As
Your Excellency might be aware of, the Mor Gabriel Monastery,
established in 397.AD, is a very important historic monument and a
holy place for the entire Christendom and particularly for the Syriac
Christians all over the world. This has been a religious place of
lofty regards and a centre of high reverence for the Syriac people
all through out its history. It was owned and cherished by the Syriac
church fathers, and the monastery enjoyed full freedom of ownership
of its land and properties from the time of its inception. Even the
people of other religions upheld in high esteem and respected this
institution as a holy place for all. For most of the non-Turkish
origin Syriac Christians, the first thing, that, the very name:
Turkey, immediately bringing to their mind, with reverence to the
esteemed land of Turkey, is about their holy monasteries in Turkey,
like the Mor Gabriel Monastery of Midyat, Deir-ul-Zaafran of Mardin,
the Holy place: Antioch etc

But some of the disputes and false claims that have recently arisen
regarding the territorial ownership of the monastery deserve serious
attention of all. This very sensitive and touching issue is imparting
much sorrow and anxiety to us and to the entire Syriac communities
all over the world. As has been detailed in the attached report of
the bishop of the Monastery, Metropolitan Mor Timotheos Samuel Aktas,
the Cadastral Survey Department and some misguided people of the
surrounding villages, is coming up with unjustifiable claims about
the property rights of the monastery.

It is a very sad as well as very serious matter, that, even after
producing enough concrete proofs and solid supporting governmental
documental evidences to prove the historic rights of ownership of the
land and properties of the monastery, the present Cadstral Survey
Department and other government departments are going ahead blindly
with their false claims and proceedings regarding the boundaries of
the land of the monastery. The claims of the department are
absolutely against the prevailing rights of the minority communities,
now prevalent in the esteemed country of Turkey and these are against
the International treaties and agreements reached with Turkey.

Also the ill motivated and illogical allegations and complaints of
some of the nearby villagers, as detailed in the attached report are
also to be considered very serious infringements, and as an attempt
to breach the religious freedom, and putting at risk, the peace and
harmony enjoyed by the minority communities in Turkey. Now, at a
time, when many of the Syriac Christians of Turkish origin in
diaspora, who had to flee their homeland for fear of their life in
the difficult tides of times, want to return to Turkey â€" (the
settlement at the village ‘Kaphra’ in southern Turkey is a good
example for that), this sort of incursions and attacking mentality
brings serious concern, fear and disappointment in the minds of them.
Moreover this will fade and disfigure the good image that the nation
Turkey is achieving.

So, Your Excellency, please consider this issue with proper
importance and through your reputed office, we would like to bring to
the attention of the esteemed government of Turkey, to take some
urgent, decisive and fruitful actions in order to safeguard the
rights of the Syriac Christian communities in Turkey, and to provide
enough protection to them from the incursive forces that endanger the
life and freedom of the Syriac minorities in Turkey, that they had
enjoyed since the inception of Christianity in the first century AD.

With thanks and sincere regards,

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church

http://www.socmnet.org/Bull_HH/Brev_Ignatius_Zakka_1_Iwas.pdf

Please see the detailed report on the imminent problems that threaten
the survival of the Mor Gabriel Syriac Orthodox Monastery in Midyat -
the oldest Christian monastery in the world.

htp://sor.cua.edu/SOCNews/2008/200811MorGabriel.pdf

Rgds,
Thomas Joseph, Ph.D.

Christmas message from Catholicose Aboon Mor Baselious Thomas I

CHRISTMAS – THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Let's thank god for giving us an opportunity to commemorate the birth
of Jesus Christ our savior. Christmas is the time of happiness and
celebration all over the world. The celebration has become a business
for the people in the modern world. In the midst of celebrations, the
spiritual meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ has often been
forgotten. In true sense, Christmas is the celebration of Life. The
birth of Jesus Christ reveals the life giving God's involvement in
history. Verses John 10.10 gives the great message of birth of Jesus
Christ. "I have come that they might have life, and they might have
it more abundantly." In this verse lord has given us the purpose of
His coming. Jesus Christ was born in this world to give His life for
all.

Life is an important subject in the Holy Bible it is used more than
35 times in the gospel of St. John. In the holy bible, life is
considered as the gift of God because the base of nature and life is
God himself. In Old Testament God is represented as a living god.
(1st Samuel 17: 26 to 36) The concept of living God clearly assures
us the fact that God provides life. Only God can provide life and
sustain it.

The incarnate birth of Jesus testifies that the living God dwelt
among us. The living God of Old Testament is completely seen in
Jesus. Jesus Christ makes the subject more clear in St. John 14:6 "I
am the way the truth and the life"

Jesus Christ provides life by fighting against all the evil forces.
The purpose of god's kingdom is re-construction of life. The ministry
of Jesus Christ displays that all the obstacles were taken away to
keep life in its fullness. St. Like 4:18, 19 clearly gives the
message of the birth of Jesus Christ and that all facts that object
life is revealed and given to men.

The Christmas celebration of this year is an invitation for all of us
to be a part in Gods ministry for providing life .Many lives are
being aborted due to the reformation of world economy and
consumerism; it is the main hindrance for the prosperous growth of
man's life in this modern society. This truth reinforces that
abortion is an act against God himself.

Today not only is man's life but also nature's existence in danger.
We must work hand in hand to put into practice the important purpose
of the birth of Jesus Christ. Let a Christian's duty be celebration
of life. The Christmas celebration of this year challenges us to keep
life prosperous which is given by god. Along with that let us pray
for the people who lost their life in Mumbai terrorist attack and
other crisis in this modern world.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

H.B. MOR BASELIOUS THOMAS IST
Catholicose Of India & Metropolitan Trustee
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

Christmas message of Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas

BY THE GRACE OF GOD

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church

No.E255/08
12-December-2008

Apostolic Benediction to our beloved Metropolitans and to our beloved
spiritual children: the Reverend Vicars and the Parishioners of all
our Malankara churches and congregations in the Arabian Gulf Region,
Europe, Australia and Singapore.

By the Mercy of God, we have once again come to the Feast of the
nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and we have great joy
in sending you this message on this blessed occasion. At the birth of
Jesus, the wise men came from far off places by suffering all the
pains of the difficult journey to see him and to get blessed by this
child who is born as the Saviour of the world. "They saw the child
with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then,
opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and
frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11). At this Christmas time we
also have to submit to Him the most valuable that we have. But He is
God and He came to this world in search of the lost sheep – the human
kind. St. Paul says "Do not be conformed to this world but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is
the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans
12:2). So the most valuable and acceptable gift that we can offer Him
is nothing other than ourselves – our soul and our entirety. When we
submit ourselves to Him, we shall follow His path truly and
sincerely. Thus we will be transformed to the true image of God. As
we celebrate this Christmas, let us rededicate ourselves to Him and
turn to be the true followers of Him. May the baby Jesus grow through
our lives and we be the bearers of Him.

Our dearly beloved, we pray that May the coming New Year also be a
year when through each of you, the qualities of Jesus Christ are
being truly revealed to the world, and testifying Him through your
lives. Then, through each of us the world will see the light of God
and receive the peace of Christmas. We wish you all a Merry Christmas
and an evermore blessed New Year. This celebration may bring peace
and spiritual happiness to your churches, homes, and to all your
endeavours.

We extend our Apostolic Blessings to you. May the Grace of God be
with you all through the intercession of St. Mary the Mother of God,
St. Joseph the Righteous and all the other Saints. Amen.

Copy of the Apostolic Encyclical is available at
http://www.socmnet.org/Bull_HH/08_255_HHs_Xmas_Message.pdf

** Reproduced with permission from the Patriarchate. The encyclical
has been addressed to each Archdiocese as appropriate.

Dear brethren,

The December 2008 edition of "Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian
digest" http://www.socdigest.org is now online.

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to "Shroro", and your love
and interest has made the tremendous growth in this magazine leading to
its immediate success.

We ask that you pray for us, so that we may better serve our
community's interests in coming years.

Shroro Editorial Board
http://www.socdigest.org

Dear brethren,

The January 2009 edition of "Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian
digest" http://www.socdigest.org is now online.

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to "Shroro", and your love
and interest has made the tremendous growth in this magazine leading to
its immediate success.

We ask that you pray for us, so that we may better serve our
community's interests in coming years.

Shroro Editorial Board
http://www.socdigest.org

For "A Little Spiritual Help" join a new yahoo group - email list sponsored
by our mission this month.

"A Little Spiritual Help" is for

HEALING LIFE,
DEEPENING FAITH,
ENRICHING PRACTICE, and
REFRESHING SPIRIT

This service will be mostly helpful quotes and useful notes for a little
spiritual help on our journey. The sources will be mostly Christian from
Apostolic and Orthodox traditions, but contemporary and other sources may be
used.

The intention of this list is for there to be "spiritual help" in the form
of new posts on most Wednesdays and Fridays, which are considered days of
introspection and meditation in Orthodox Christianity. However, spiritual
help is available always and everything posted will be available in the list
group archives - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualhelp/messages

The first two posts for "A Little Spiritual Help" have been:
010209 The Transcendent
010709 Love of Goodness

This group is supervised by Fr John Brian Paprock, Orthodox priest who
serves a multi-ethnic mission parish and as a chaplain for local hospitals
and hospice care. He has been a pastoral counselor for many years, working
with diverse people with diverse problems and life difficulties.

However, anyone may submit short quotes for inclusion and help. The shorter
the better, but spiritual helpfulness and inspiration are most important.

May the Lord bless and keep each of us in His light and Love. May He bless
this simple endeavor to be a help to those along the way.

Please pray for this effort, for the moderators.

Subscribe: spiritualhelp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualhelp/


*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
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621 N. Sherman Avenue, Suite B3
Madison, Wisconsin 53704
Sundays 9:30am ~ 608.242.4244
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www.maruroopa.blogspot.com

Shlomo to all of you,

We thought it was appropriate to update you all in relation to the
St Gabriel Monastery dispute in Tur Abdin, Turkey.

I have just spoken with Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA) President
Johny Messo who is currently in Tur Abdin, Turkey. As many of you
are aware, he has made a special trip over to our Syriac Aramean
homeland in order to campaign to protect our position, particularly
in relation to St Gabriel Monastery.

Johny has just updated me with the most current news on the trials
in Midyat. This relates to the initial appeals trial held on Monday
12 January 2009 and the current appeals trial which was held today
on 16 January 2009.

In a strategic move by our lawyers, we have successfully postponed
both trials to February 11, 2009. This move was initiated by our
legal team in order to consolidate all three trials into one (the
other trial of 31 December 2009 was also postponed to 11 February,
2009).

Therefore, we have all three trials now taking place on this new
date, which is a significant victory for our team. As you are all
aware, the three trials are as follows:

1. The first court appeals proceeding was initiated by the Monastery
regarding its boundaries with the villages of Yayvantepe and Eglence.

2. The second court appeals proceeding was also initiated by the
Monastery against the Forestry in order to restore its property
which is within the outer wall of the Monastery; and

3. The third trial relates to the Turkish prosecutor, who had begun
a Court proceeding against the Monastery and its people making a
number of fallacious claims about our practices in the Monastery.

We at the SUA are continuing with the pressure against the Turkish
government to drop the cases and return the Monastery Boundary lines
to those which have always held true. Our defence team are gathering
and providing more documents to the court and will continue to need
all of our help in this fight against injustice and discrimination.

We again thank our President Johny Messo, who has met with several
Parliamentary Leaders, Ambassadors, EU Politicians and Religious
Leaders over the past few weeks. He is continuing the pressure
against this injustice.

The SUA will continue with this fight and we ask for your support
moving forward. We will provide a further update next week on this
issue and we are looking at further strategic ways we can stop the
human rights and property rights abuses being exercised against our
Syriac Aramean people. We will attend the 11 February trial and will
work towards defending our posiion in the coming weeks.

God bless you all and thanks for your support!!

BTW, if anyone wants a copy of the SUA report into the St Gabriel
Monastery Dispute then please send me a separate message with your
email and I will try to send it to you.

Regards
SUA President – Johny Messo
SUA Human Rights and NGO Director – Daniel Gabriel

The International Herald Tribune:

Christian monastery in Turkey fights to keep land

Reuters. Thursday, January 22, 2009

By Ibon Villelabeitia

In a remote village near the Turkish-Syrian border, a land dispute
with neighbouring villages is threatening the future of one of the
world's oldest functioning Christian monasteries.

Critics say the dispute, which has become a rallying cry for Christian
church groups across Europe, is a new chapter in the long history of
religious persecution of the small Christian community by the Turkish
state.

Tucked amid rugged hills where minarets rise in the distance, a small
group of monks chants in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ,
inside the fifth-century Mor Gabriel monastery. It is a relic of an
era when hundreds of thousands of Syriac Christians lived and
worshipped in Turkey.

"This is our land. We have been here for more than 1,600 years," said
Kuryakos Ergun, head of the Mor Gabriel Foundation, surveying the
barren land and villages from the monastery's rooftop. "We have our
maps and our records to prove it. This is not about land. It's about
the monastery."

The dispute, on which a court is due to rule on February 11, is
testing freedom of religion and human rights for non-Muslim
minorities in this overwhelmingly Muslim country that aspires to join
the European Union.

The row began when Turkish government land officials redrew the
boundaries around Mor Gabriel and the surrounding villages in 2008 to
update a national land registry.

The monks say the new boundaries turn over to the villages large
plots of land the monastery has owned for centuries, and designate
monastery land as public forest. Christian groups believe officials
want to ultimately stamp out the Syriac Orthodox monastery.

Their allegations come as the EU has said the ruling AK Party
government, which has Islamist roots, needs to do more to promote
religious freedom alongside its liberal economic and political
reforms.

"This case relates to the political criteria Turkey has to meet to
become a member of the European Union," said Helena Storm, First
Secretary of the Sweden embassy in Ankara, who has travelled to the
monastery to follow court hearings.

"It is important that freedom of religion and property rights for
minorities are respected in Turkey," she said.

Local government officials reached by Reuters in the town of Midyat
and in the provincial capital of Mardin declined comment on the case,
noting it was going through the court.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to press ahead with
difficult EU reforms, including rights of minorities.

"ANTI-TURKISH"

In the name of Turkey's strict secular laws, authorities have over
decades expropriated millions of dollars worth of property belonging
to Christians. Syriacs, Armenians and Greek Orthodox Christians --
remnants of the Muslim-led but multi-faith Ottoman Empire -- are
viewed by many as foreigners.

Syriacs are one of Turkey's oldest communities, descendants of a
branch of Middle Eastern Christianity. These Christians, united by a
language derived from Aramaic, are split into several Orthodox and
Catholic denominations.

There were 250,000 Syriacs when Ataturk founded Turkey after World
War I from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Today they number 20,000. Syriacs migrated throughout the 20th
century to Europe, fleeing first persecution by the new secular
republic, and later to escape violence between Kurdish separatist
rebels and the Turkish military in the southeast.

A local prosecutor in August 2008 initiated a separate court case
against the monastery after mayors of three villages complained the
monks were engaged in "anti-Turkish activities" and alleged they were
illegally converting children to the Christian faith.

Monks say the mayors are instigating anti-Christian feelings by
accusing Mor Gabriel of being against Islam. Villagers in
neighbouring Candarli, a settlement of 12 humble houses with no paved
roads, said they had nothing against Christians and accused the
monastery of taking land they need for cattle.

"There is a continued campaign to destroy the backbone of the Syriac
people and close down the monastery," said Daniel Gabriel, director
of the human rights division of the Syriac Universal Alliance, a
leading Syriac group based in Sweden.

"These proceedings cannot take place without the sanction of the
Turkish government. If the government wanted to protect the Syriac
Christian community they would stop this case," he said.

Many churches and monasteries in southeast Turkey -- known to Syriac
Christians as Turabdin or "the mountain of worshippers" -- are now
abandoned and in ruins.

"You need people to have a church. Without the community, the church
is only a building," said Saliba Ozmen, the metropolitan or bishop of
the nearby city of Mardin.

INVASIONS AND RAIDS

The Conference of European Churches, a fellowship of 126 Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic churches from European
countries, has said it is "deeply concerned about the threat to the
survival of the monastery." The group has raised the issue with the
EU and Turkish officials.

Considered the "second Jerusalem" by Syriacs, Mor Gabriel was built
in 397 AD near the border of today's Syria and Iraq.

The ochre-coloured limestone building has seen invasions by Romans,
Byzantines, Crusaders and Islamic armies, and the monastery was once
raided by the Mongol leader Tamerlane.

After falling into disuse, Mor Gabriel was revived in the 1920s and
today it teaches the Syriac faith and Aramaic language to a group of
35 boys, who live and study at the monastery.

By law, Syriacs must attend state schools where teaching is in
Turkish, but they can be taught about their own language and religion
outside school hours.

Three black-clad monks, 14 nuns and a bishop live within the walls,
preserving the ancient Syriac liturgy and tending to the orchards and
gardens. They worship in a chapel with Byzantine mosaics. In its
heyday, Mor Gabriel housed 2,000 monks and nuns.

Mor Gabriel receives more than 100,000 visitors a year, many of them
from the Syriac diaspora in Germany and Sweden.

A trickle of Syriac families have returned in the last few years from
the diaspora, encouraged by a drop in violence and Turkey's easing of
language and cultural restrictions on its minorities as part of EU-
linked reforms.

Syriac church leader Ozmen said there are powerful conservative forces
opposed to change in Turkey, but he is optimistic. He pointed to this
month's launch of a once-banned Kurdish language channel on state
television.

"Multiculturalism has been part of Turkey since the Ottoman times,"
he said. "It is our best guarantee for the future."

(Editing by Sara Ledwith and Tom Heneghan)

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2009/01/22/africa/OUKWD-UK-
RELIGION-TURKEY-CHRISTIANS.php

Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:02pm EST

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE50L08720090122?
sp=true

By Ibon Villelabeitia

MIDYAT, Turkey (Reuters) - In a remote village near the Turkish-
Syrian border, a land dispute with neighboring villages is
threatening the future of one of the world's oldest functioning
Christian monasteries.

Critics say the dispute, which has become a rallying cry for
Christian church groups across Europe, is a new chapter in the long
history of religious persecution of the small Christian community by
the Turkish state.

Tucked amid rugged hills where minarets rise in the distance, a small
group of monks chants in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ,
inside the fifth-century Mor Gabriel monastery. It is a relic of an
era when hundreds of thousands of Syriac Christians lived and
worshipped in Turkey.

"This is our land. We have been here for more than 1,600 years," said
Kuryakos Ergun, head of the Mor Gabriel Foundation, surveying the
barren land and villages from the monastery's rooftop. "We have our
maps and our records to prove it. This is not about land. It's about
the monastery."

The dispute, on which a court is due to rule on February 11, is
testing freedom of religion and human rights for non-Muslim
minorities in this overwhelmingly Muslim country that aspires to
join the European Union.

The row began when Turkish government land officials redrew the
boundaries around Mor Gabriel and the surrounding villages in 2008 to
update a national land registry.

The monks say the new boundaries turn over to the villages large
plots of land the monastery has owned for centuries, and designate
monastery land as public forest. Christian groups believe officials
want to ultimately stamp out the Syriac Orthodox monastery.

Their allegations come as the EU has said the ruling AK Party
government, which has Islamist roots, needs to do more to promote
religious freedom alongside its liberal economic and political
reforms.

"This case relates to the political criteria Turkey has to meet to
become a member of the European Union," said Helena Storm, First
Secretary of the Sweden embassy in Ankara, who has traveled to the
monastery to follow court hearings.

"It is important that freedom of religion and property rights for
minorities are respected in Turkey," she said.

Local government officials reached by Reuters in the town of Midyat
and in the provincial capital of Mardin declined comment on the case,
noting it was going through the court.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to press ahead with
difficult EU reforms, including rights of minorities.

"ANTI-TURKISH"

In the name of Turkey's strict secular laws, authorities have over
decades expropriated millions of dollars worth of property belonging
to Christians. Syriacs, Armenians and Greek Orthodox Christians --
remnants of the Muslim-led but multi-faith Ottoman Empire -- are
viewed by many as foreigners.

Syriacs are one of Turkey's oldest communities, descendants of a
branch of Middle Eastern Christianity. These Christians, united by a
language derived from Aramaic, are split into several Orthodox and
Catholic denominations.

There were 250,000 Syriacs when Ataturk founded Turkey after World
War I from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Today they number 20,000. Syriacs migrated throughout the 20th
century to Europe, fleeing first persecution by the new secular
republic, and later to escape violence between Kurdish separatist
rebels and the Turkish military in the southeast.

A local prosecutor in August 2008 initiated a separate court case
against the monastery after mayors of three villages complained the
monks were engaged in "anti-Turkish activities" and alleged they were
illegally converting children to the Christian faith.

Monks say the mayors are instigating anti-Christian feelings by
accusing Mor Gabriel of being against Islam. Villagers in neighboring
Candarli, a settlement of 12 humble houses with no paved roads, said
they had nothing against Christians and accused the monastery of
taking land they need for cattle.

"There is a continued campaign to destroy the backbone of the Syriac
people and close down the monastery," said Daniel Gabriel, director
of the human rights division of the Syriac Universal Alliance, a
leading Syriac group based in Sweden.

"These proceedings cannot take place without the sanction of the
Turkish government. If the government wanted to protect the Syriac
Christian community they would stop this case," he said.

Many churches and monasteries in southeast Turkey -- known to Syriac
Christians as Turabdin or "the mountain of worshippers" -- are now
abandoned and in ruins.

"You need people to have a church. Without the community, the church
is only a building," said Saliba Ozmen, the metropolitan or bishop of
the nearby city of Mardin.

INVASIONS AND RAIDS

The Conference of European Churches, a fellowship of 126 Orthodox,
Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic churches from European
countries, has said it is "deeply concerned about the threat to the
survival of the monastery." The group has raised the issue with the
EU and Turkish officials.

Considered the "second Jerusalem" by Syriacs, Mor Gabriel was built
in 397 AD near the border of today's Syria and Iraq.

The ochre-colored limestone building has seen invasions by Romans,
Byzantines, Crusaders and Islamic armies, and the monastery was once
raided by the Mongol leader Tamerlane.

After falling into disuse, Mor Gabriel was revived in the 1920s and
today it teaches the Syriac faith and Aramaic language to a group of
35 boys, who live and study at the monastery.

By law, Syriacs must attend state schools where teaching is in
Turkish, but they can be taught about their own language and religion
outside school hours.

Three black-clad monks, 14 nuns and a bishop live within the walls,
preserving the ancient Syriac liturgy and tending to the orchards and
gardens. They worship in a chapel with Byzantine mosaics. In its
heyday, Mor Gabriel housed 2,000 monks and nuns.

Mor Gabriel receives more than 100,000 visitors a year, many of them
from the Syriac diaspora in Germany and Sweden.

A trickle of Syriac families have returned in the last few years from
the diaspora, encouraged by a drop in violence and Turkey's easing of
language and cultural restrictions on its minorities as part of
EU-linked reforms.

Syriac church leader Ozmen said there are powerful conservative
forces opposed to change in Turkey, but he is optimistic. He pointed
to this month's launch of a once-banned Kurdish language channel on
state television.

"Multiculturalism has been part of Turkey since the Ottoman times,"
he said. "It is our best guarantee for the future."

(Editing by Sara Ledwith and Tom Heneghan)

Huliq News: An important Kurdish Leader in Turkey apologizes to Aram
27. Jan 2009

An important Kurdish Leader in Turkey apologizes for the
contribution of the Kurds to the Aramean Genocide of 1915- Appeal to
Ahmet Turk.

Ahmet Turk is the Leader of the Kurdish Party For Democratic Society
(Demokratik Toplum Partisi= DTP) in Turkey. During his trip on 30-12-
2008 in South-Eastern of Turkey through the province of Mardin, Mr.
Turk visited along with other party leaders various historical and
tourist places. Amongst others, he visited the Aramean Cultural
Association in Midyat and the Aramean monastery St. Gabriel. During
his conversation with the Arameans of Tur Abdin Ahmet Turk
apologized for the contribution of the Kurds to the Aramean genocide
of 1915, as has been published on the Turkish Websites of
http://www.ensonhaber.com, http://www.haberler.com/, see below).

Although Ahmet Turk did not mention the word 'Genocide', yet his
statement is a important step in the right direction in a country
where such statements are taboo.

Mr. Turk said, "Because of the sorrow of the heartrending events, we
feel necessary to apologize."

Please find below the articles published on the website of
http://www.ensonhaber.com and http://www.haberler.com/, with the
right column the original Turkish text and left column the English
translation.

In Turkey there are around 20.000 Arameans of which major part is
living in Istanbul. In Tur Abdin there are but around 2.000
Arameans. In the Turkey the Arameans are known as "Suryani". The
English translation sounds like "Syrian", which is a synonym for
Aramean.

During the genocide of 1915 beside Armenians, around 600.000
Arameans were killed (More about this horrible genocide:
http://www.aramnahrin.org/English/ArameanPhysicalGenocide.htm)

The recognition of the Aramean physical genocide by a prominent
Kurdish leader is a step in the right direction. Hopefully more
Kurds will follow his example and finally also the Turks will do
this.

...

From http://www.aramnahrin.org/

http://www.huliq.com/1/76745/important-kurdish-leader-turkey-
apologizes-arameans

Demonstrations to Save Orthodox Monastery of Mor Gabriel
By Geries Othman
1/27/2009

Asia News (www.asianews.it/)

Muslim leaders are trying to destroy the Syriac orthodox monastery
and have sued for alleged proselytism.

ANKARA (AsiaNews) - Demonstrations are being held in many European
countries to save the monastery of Mor Gabriel, a spiritual center
for the Syriac Orthodox community in Turkey.

Founded in 397, it is the oldest functioning Christian monastery in
the world. It is located on the plateau of Tur Abdin, "The Mountain
of the Servants of God," on the Turkish border with Iraq. The see of
the metropolitan archbishop of Tur Abdin, Mor Timotheus Samuel
Aktas, with its three monks, 14 nuns, and 35 young people who live
and study there, it is a religious and cultural point of reference
for all Syriac Orthodox Christians, who still preserve ancient
Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Every year it welcomes more than ten
thousand tourists and pilgrims, many of them Syriacs of the diaspora
in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden.

Now, however, the future of the monastery and the Christian minority
is threatened by a series of lawsuits against the monks and the
prestigious religious institution. In August of 2008, the leaders of
three Muslim villages around the monastery accused the community of
proselytism, for having students to whom they can hand down the
Christian faith and the Aramaic language. Their case has not yet
been accepted by the Turkish court. But the village leaders are also
asking that the monastery's land be appropriated and divided among
the villages; that a wall be knocked down that was built during the
1990's (when the monastery was on the front of the conflict between
the Turkish army and the Kurdish communist party (PKK)). According
to the Muslim leaders, there used to be a mosque on the land where
the monastery was built. "The accusation is absurd," says David
Gelen, leader of the Aramaic Foundation, "the monastery dates from
397 A.D., about 200 years before the prophet Mohammed and the
construction of any mosque whatsoever. And yet the court has
considered hearing the case."

Gelen says that he thinks a "campaign of intimidation" is underway
against the religious of the monastery. "Bishop, monks, and nuns,"
Gelen continues, "are always threatened in the most direct way
possible by the inhabitants of the village, and they do not dare
present themselves at trial or defend themselves in some way. So for
some time, the monks and nuns have not had the courage to leave the
confines of the property."

"In Turkey," Gelen explains, "freedom of religious expression is
guaranteed by the constitution; but those who are not recognized as
a minority do not exist, in practical terms. Now the Syriacs, unlike
the Greeks and Armenians, are not recognized as a religious
minority, although they have been living there for millennia. The
purpose of the threats and the lawsuit seems to be to repress this
minority and expel it from Turkey, as if it were a foreign
object."

The Syriac community has high hopes in the European Union, which on
February 11 is supposed to address together with the Turkish
government the question of religious freedom and human rights for
the non-Muslim minorities present in the country. "We hope not only
that our rights will be recognized," David Gelen says, "but we are
convinced that for the Turkish state, the time has come to
recognize, accept, and protect the cultural multiplicity of the
country, instead of fighting it. Turkey must decide whether it wants
to preserve a 1,600-year-old culture, or annihilate the last remains
of a non-Muslim tradition. What is at stake is the multiculturalism
that has always characterized this nation, since the time of the
Ottoman Empire."

Since 1923, when the Turkish state was created, the Syriac Orthodox
have been dispersed in four countries: Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran.
Yasar Ravi, president of the Syriac Orthodox community of Antioch,
notes that the Treaty of Lausanne guaranteed certain essential
freedoms for this minority, but "things have gone differently."

Since that time, there has been a constant exodus of the community
toward central and northern Europe, especially Germany (where there
are 20,000 Syriacs) and Sweden (70-80,000). In the middle of the
1960's, there were still about 130,000 of them in Tur Abdin; today
there are just 3,000.

"We have no territory, we are scattered throughout the world, but we
are very united thanks to our linguistic, social, and cultural
identity," Yasar Ravi continues. "As history teaches us, religion
has always had a dominant role in civilization. Ours is without
doubt a very religious people, and we are proud of speaking the
language of Jesus: the language that, in terms of its diffusion, was
essentially the English of the Middle East."

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?
id=31821
<http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?
id=31821&cb300=vocations> &cb300=vocations

THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES

Jan 15, 2009 - Following the meeting of the Executive Committee of
the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on 15 January, the members
of the Standing Committee of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the
Middle East, met in the evening at the Armenian Catholicosate of
Cilicia, Antelias (Lebanon).

H.E. Metropolitan Bishoy and H.G. Bishop Mark represented the Coptic
Orthodox Church, and H.E. Metropolitan George Saliba and H.G. Bishop
Daniel represented the Syrian Orthodox Church. His Grace Bishop Nareg
represented the Armenian Orthodox Church. The General Secretary of
MECC also attended the meeting.

In the first part of the agenda they discussed the relationships of
the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the region with the MECC and the
World Council of Churches, and the status of theological bilateral
dialogues. In this context they discussed the implications of the
visit of His Holiness Aram I to the Vatican on the life of the
churches in the Middle East. In the second part, they discussed two
forthcoming meetings. One, the Oriental Orthodox and Roman Catholic
theological dialogue to be held in the end of January, and two, the
meeting in May 2009 of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in
the Middle East, H.H. Pope Shenouda III, H.H. Patriarch Zakka I Iwas,
and H.H. Catholicos Aram I.

http://www.dw-
world.de/popups/popup_imageoftheday//0,,3974335_lang_2,00.html

Religious Freedom
25.01.2009

Some 3,000 people, including the Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox
Church in Germany, Hanna Aydin, seen in the middle of this photo,
staged a demonstration in front of the Berlin Cathedral on Sunday,
Jan. 25, demanding religious freedom for Syriac Orthodox Christians in
Turkey. Syriacs are one of Turkey's oldest communities, descendants of
a branch of Middle Eastern Christianity. These Christians, united by a
language derived from Aramaic, are split into several Orthodox and
Catholic denominations. There were 250,000 Syriacs when Ataturk
founded Turkey after World War I from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.
Today they number 20,000. Syriacs migrated throughout the 20th century
to Europe, fleeing first persecution by the new secular republic, and
later to escape violence between Kurdish separatist rebels and the
Turkish military in the southeast.

Christians must show world that unity is possible, pope says

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- United in their baptism and their faith in
Jesus, Christians have an obligation to show the world that
differences in language and culture do not have to lead to division
and violence, Pope Benedict XVI said.

"The world needs a visible sign" of unity, the pope told members of
the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between
the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

The pope met Jan. 30 with the commission members, who represent the
Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, Coptic Orthodox
Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church.

Each of the churches involved in the dialogue brings the richness of
its own traditions along with a commitment "to overcome the divisions
of the past and to strengthen the united witness of Christians in the
face of the enormous challenges facing believers today," the pope
said.

While united spiritually as disciples of Christ, he said, Christians
also are called to be united visibly as one church.

"We need only cast our minds to the Middle East -- from where many of
you come -- to see that true seeds of hope are urgently needed in a
world wounded by the tragedy of division, conflict and immense human
suffering," the pope said.

Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0900456.htm

Nine arrested over 2,000 year-old Syrian bible

By Simon Bahceli


A TWO THOUSAND year-old Syrian Orthodox bible, believed to have been
smuggled into the island from southeastern Turkey, has become the
subject of major police operation in the north that has so far led to
the arrest of nine suspects.

The bible, estimated to be worth around €2 million, was seized during
a raid at the Famagusta bus terminal last Friday where smugglers were
seeking to sell it to buyers in the north. It is thought Turkish
Cypriot police had been tipped off about the impending sale.
Although the north's `antiquities department' refused yesterday to
comment on the bible, because it was "the subject of an ongoing
inquiry", a statement from police said it was bound in deerskin,
written in gold letters in the Syriac language, and believed to be
around 2000 years old. The bible may have come from the heartland of
the Syrian Orthodox community in southeastern Turkey, where a
small community remains, despite often being caught in the crossfire
between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish military.

"It is very likely to come from the Tur-Abdin area of Turkey, where
there is still a Syriac speaking community," Dr Chalotte Roueche,
professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at King College,
London told Reuters yesterday.

In 1994, the British historian William Dalrymple wrote that the
community "could die out within one generation". However, conditions
are reported to have improved in recent years with the Turkish
government making efforts to protect religious minorities in the
country.

Roueche added, however, that it was impossible to say for sure
whether the bible was either from that area, or whether it was as old
as the Turkish Cypriot police thought.

"The problem about this description is that a Syriac gospel-book
could be from the 4th century, but it could date from several
centuries after that, well into the middle ages. Indeed, I think that
gospel books may still have been being written in Syriac then.
Obviously the smugglers will have wanted to date it as ancient as
possible," Dr Roueche added.

Police in the north believe that those arrested may have been
involved in a wider antiquities smuggling operation after a Christian
prayer statue and a carving of Christ were found in the Karpas
village home of one of the suspects. Five sticks of dynamite were
also found, which police believe were to be used for later
excavations by the suspects.

The individual believed to have smuggled the bible onto the island is
still being sought. He and one other suspect fled from the scene of
Friday's raid, during which police fired warning shots. All nine
suspects are being held in the north on charges of smuggling
antiquities, carrying out illegal excavations and possession of
explosives.

The smuggling of antiquities from churches and ancient sites in the
north has been an ongoing problem since the division of the island in
1974, but questions are being asked why such a valuable item would
have been smuggled into the north from Turkey. Some reports said the
bible may have been destined for a buyer in the south of the island.

Source: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=43870&cat_id=1

Dear All

Radio Malankara will be broadcasting the Audio recording of the Holy
Qurbono celebrated in Syriac by Late Lamented His Holiness Mor Ignatios
Ya`qub III of blessed memory (Former Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox
Church - 1912-1980), on Thursday 05th February 2009 and on Friday 06th
February, on following timings:

05:00 hrs (IST): (3.30 PM US EST)
17:40 hrs (IST): (4.10 AM US EST)

Please tune in http://www.radiomalankara.org/

Let the whole world listen and be blessed !!!

Dear brethren,

The February 2009 edition of "Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian
digest" http://www.socdigest.org is now online.

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to "Shroro", and your love
and interest has made the tremendous growth in this magazine leading to
its immediate success.

We ask that you pray for us, so that we may better serve our
community's interests in coming years.

Shroro Editorial Board
http://www.socdigest.org

Thousands pray at St. Elias III 's tomb

The annual feast of Syriac Orthodox Patriarch St. Elias III was held
at Manjanikkara, Pathanamthitta with religious fervour on Friday.
Thousands of believers offered prayers at the tomb of St. Elias III
at the Mor Ignatius Diayro Cathedral at Manjanikkara. Believers from
different parts of the State thronged Manjanikkara in processions as
part of their annual pilgrimage in connection with the saint's feast
on Friday.

They were accorded a reception by bishops and priests, including the
representative of the Patriarch and Metropolitan of Jordan and
Jerusalem, Malkhi Murad Mor Sevarios, at Omalloor Cross in the
afternoon.

Geevarghese Mor Dionysius, Diara chief, Geevarghese Mor Athanasius,
auxiliary bishop, Kuriakose Mor Diascorus, Archbishop Kuriakose Mor
Sevarios, Kuriakose Mor Ivanios, Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, T.U.
Kuruvilla, Diara secretary and former Minister, were among those who
received the processions at Omalloor Cross.

Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas inaugurated the pilgrims' meet
held on the Diara premises in the evening. Youhanon Mor Phelexinos
presided over the meet.

The Patriarchal delegate will lead the holy Eucharist to be held at
the Diara cathedral at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday.

The internet TV of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox
Church, "teshbuhto" – Malankara Vision, http://malankaravision.com
promoted by http://www.SOCMNet.org was officially inaugurated by
Apostolic Delegate of the Patriarch of Antioch Mor Severios Malki
Morad, Patriarchal-Vicariate of Jerusalem & Jordan.

Photos:
http://www.syrianchurch.org/Photos/77Dukrono_StEliasIII_09/index.html
Mor Ignatius Dayaro Cathedral-: http://manjinikkaradayara.org/

SOCM News Bureau - Pathanamthitta

teshbuhto  – Malankara Vision – officially launched

Feb 13, 2009, Manjinikkara: Today at a grand public meeting held at
Manajanikkara in connection with the 77th Dukarono of St. Ignatius
Elias III at Manjinikkara Dayaro, the internet TV of the Malankara
Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, "teshbuhto" – Malankara Vision,
http://malankaravision.com promoted by http://www.SOCMNet.org was
officially inaugurated by Apostolic Delegate of the Patriarch of
Antioch His Eminence Mor Severios Malki Morad, Patriarchal-Vicariate of
Jerusalem & Jordan.

Those who are interested in supporting this unique project may kindly
do so by providing the promoters with more video recordings of Syriac
Orthodox worship, songs of different occasions and spiritual talks of
our prelates, clergy and church recognized lay ministers.

In Our Lord's Love
SOCM Moderators
http://www.socmnet.org

Meaning of the Mid-Lent Cross

There are four powerful prayers in each of the four directions with the Mid-Lent
Cross. This sermon is on the meaning of the Mid-Lent Cross, the Golgotha, King
Abgar and the healing power of the prayer for this auspicious time.

PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD: http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
http://frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml
LISTEN ONLINE HERE:
http://frjohbrian.blogspot.com/2009/03/meaning-of-mid-lent-cross.html

This sermon was given for Mid-Lent, March 18, 2009 by Fr John Brian Paprock at
Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.


PODCAST OR DOWNLOAD all sermons:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/frjohnbrian or
frjohnbrian.hipcast.com/rss/spiritual_reflections_or_fr_john_brian.xml

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Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission Parish
621 N. Sherman Avenue, Suite B3
Madison, Wisconsin - Sundays 9:30am
608.242.4244 ~ transfiguration@...
www.maruroopa.blogspot.com
www.angelfire.com/wi/inroads/transfig.html
o HEALING LIFE o DEEPENING FAITH
o ENRICHING PRACTICE o REFRESHING SPIRIT

SOCM proudly presents the website of L.L Msabrono Nasiho Mor Koorilose
Kuriakose, undeclared "Ya`qub Burd`ana" of the southern diocese of Malankara
Church.

http://morkoorilosekuriakose.org/

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to this webpage. This webpage is
presently in its infancy and its further development and success will be
entirely dependent on your right feedback and encouragement. Hence we request
all of you to give us your valuable comments and support by sending photos of
Koorilose Thirumeni with details, tributes and testimonies.

Please email to webmaster@...

In the intercession of Mor Koorilos Kuriakose

Moderators of SOCMNet.org

Dear brethren,

The March 2009 edition of "Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian
digest" http://www.socdigest.org is now online.

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to "Shroro", and your love
and interest has made the tremendous growth in this magazine leading to
its immediate success.

We ask that you pray for us, so that we may better serve our
community's interests in coming years.

Shroro Editorial Board
http://www.socdigest.org

Dear brethren,

The February 2009 edition of "Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian
digest" http://www.socdigest.org is now online.

Your dedication to the faith has given birth to "Shroro", and your love
and interest has made the tremendous growth in this magazine leading to
its immediate success.

We ask that you pray for us, so that we may better serve our
community's interests in coming years.

Shroro Editorial Board
http://www.socdigest.org

BY THE GRACE OF GOD

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church

No.E56/09
05-April-2009

Apostolic Benediction to our beloved Metropolitans and our dear spiritual
children: the Reverend clergy and the faithful of all our Malankara Syrian
Jacobite churches and congregations in the Arabian Gulf Region, USA, Europe,
Australia and Singapore.

At this blessed season of the resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ,
we have great joy in reaching you all through this message.
.................................................................
.................................................................
.................................................................

We wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter and extend our Apostolic Blessings to
you. May the grace of God be with you all forever. Amen.

Full text and copy of the Apostolic Encyclical is available at
http://socmnet.org/Bull_HH/HH_Easter_Msg_2009.jpg

** Reproduced with permission from the Patriarchate. The encyclical has been
addressed to each Archdiocese as appropriate.