+ The Syriac Orthodox Church:
Syrian: most researchers believe that it is originally a twist on the word “Assyria” in Greek. There is another opinion that the word originates from the Hurrian word “soor”, and this name is currently used in particular among the sons of the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well as some Maronites. The Syrian presence extends from the country of Syria, between the two rivers; Iraq and Persia (Iran), and India, until the far East.
Establishment of the Holy Apostolic Syriac Church of Antioch:
St Peter the Apostle founded the Church of Antioch in 37 AD: “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
The Syrian Language: it is the same as the Aramaic language, and the Syrian language was the official language of the Persian Empire during the reign of Darius the Great. The Jews learned the Aramaic language during the Babylonian captivity in the fifth century BC. It became an official language for them in addition to Hebrew, which is why the Lord Christ spoke in the Aramaic language.
The Liturgy: St James; Christ’s relative, left a liturgy in the Syrian language, which he wrote in 61 AD. This was a year before his martyrdom at the hands of the Jews in 62 AD. St James used to pray in the Aramaic and Syrian languages. Many of the Church Fathers took excerpts from this liturgy; including St John Chrysostom, St Jerome, and St Cyril of Jerusalem.
The Seat of Antioch: it is in Damascus, and was transferred by Pope Mar Ignatius Jacob III in 1956.
The number of patriarchs of the Seat of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch so far has reached 122. The first was St Peter the Apostle. The current patriarch is Mor Ignatius Aphrem II.
+ The Armenian Orthodox Church:
The Armenian Church is one of the six sister Eastern Orthodox Churches, which are: Coptic, Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Indian.
The spread of Christianity in Armenia dates back to the first century, when the two holy apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, preached in it. The year 301 AD is considered the date of the establishment of the “Etchmiadzin Seat”, the seat of the Catholicos of all Armenians. He is the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its other headquarters is in the Great House of Cilicia; Beirut, Lebanon, which is currently headed by Catholicos Aram I.
In its liturgies, our Church mentions St. Gregory the Armenian (the Enlightener), and reads the biography of St. Aripsima in the Synaxarium.
+ The Ethiopian Church:
With regards to the relations between our Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church, a joint official protocol was created in 1994, which was approved by the Holy Synod of both Churches. Visits were exchanged between the patriarchs of the two Churches. According to this protocol, in 2008, one of the professors of the Theological College in Cairo was sent to teach in the School of Theology in Addis Ababa. Several monks were also successively sent there to serve. Our service activities there were expanded, such as contributing to serving the poor among the Ethiopians. To serve the sick, medical convoys were sent from Cairo to Ethiopia, and a charitable hospital was also established there.
+ The Eritrean Church:
The Eritrean Orthodox Unity Church is an Eastern Orthodox Church, which was initially part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Unity Church. Its independence was recognized by the Ethiopian Patriarch following Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia in 1993. It is the largest Christian denomination in Eritrea. Approximately 60% of the population are Christian, which equates to around five million people.
Regarding our relationship with the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the late Pope Shenouda III ordained the first patriarch of the Eritrean Church, under the name of Abune Phillipos I, after signing the official protocol with this Church in Cairo in May 1998. He also ordained and enthroned the third patriarch, Abune Antonios I, in Asmara in April 2004 AD.
In its Holy Synod in 2006, our Church announced its disapproval of the decision to depose the legitimate leader Abune Antonios I (Patriarch of Eritrea), and replace him with the director of the Patriarchal Court “Yeftahi Demetrius.” This act was achieved by placing pressure on the Eritrean Church’s Holy Synod. The latter died in 2015. Under the leadership of H.H. Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic Church exerted great efforts to restore Abune Antonios I to his Seat, after he had been placed under house arrest in January 2006, and was not performing his patriarchal duties.
On Monday, December 9, 2024, the election of the sixth Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church took place at the Church’s headquarters in the capital city of Asmara. The election day began with prayers, followed by voting from 85 members of the Holy Synod of the Eritrean Church, along with representatives from all monasteries in Eritrea, local and foreign dioceses, sub-dioceses abroad, and representatives from the Eritrean Theological College.
Following the vote count, conducted in the presence of delegates from the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Abune Basilios was unanimously elected as the sixth Patriarch of the Holy Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Holy Synod expressed its joy through a representative of the Holy Synod of Eritrea. A statement announcing the election of the sixth Patriarch was read, and the delegation of the Coptic Orthodox Church expressed their happiness with the successful elections and the selection of the Patriarch for their sister Eritrean Church, wishing His Holiness Patriarch Abune Basilios a long life and good health.
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, Prayers for the enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Abune Basilios as the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church were held at the Cathedral of Virgin Mary in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. He is the sixth patriarch of this sister Church, which was established in 1997 through the Coptic Orthodox Church.
A delegation from the Coptic Orthodox Church, along with representatives from various other Churches, participated in the enthronement prayers.
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