The deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Georges Lemopoulos has expressed deep sadness over the passing away of Patriarch Mar Khanania Dinkha IV, head of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, a WCC member church.
Patriarch Dinkha died on 26 March in Minnesota, the United States, at the age of 79.
“I write on behalf of the World Council of Churches to express our sincere condolences to the clergy and people of the Assyrian Church of the East for the loss of their spiritual father and leader,” wrote Lemopoulos in an official letter issued from the WCC on 27 March.
“We join them in their mourning for their dearest one, and we pray with them that our God, the God of Resurrection and life, may grant him rest and peace,” he said.
Lemopoulos added that the Assyrian Church of the East has lost its spiritual leader in a particularly difficult time, “as their and our sisters and brothers in Iraq, Syria and the whole region are facing multiple challenges in the very cradle of history and culture”.
“We give thanks for his long life and his long and blessed ministry. We also give thanks for his ecumenical commitment and his vision to see all churches with apostolic roots coming closer to one another,” Lemopoulos said.
Patriarch Dinkha, the 111th Patriarch of the Church of the East, was born in Iraq. After his consecration as Patriarch in 1976, he moved to the United States due to the political instability in Iraq. He is known for rebuilding and bringing stability and peace to his church.
Letter from the WCC deputy general secretary
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