American native becomes Patriarch of Assyrian Church of the East (AsiaNews)

American native becomes Patriarch of Assyrian Church of the East (AsiaNews)

Catholic Culture

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The newly elected Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Awa Royel, was born in Chicago, and is the first American-born bishop of that ancient Church. He was elected to succeed Mar Gewargis III Sliwa, who resigned in February 2020 because of ill health; the election had been delayed because of Covid restrictions. Headquartered in Erbil, Iraq, the Assyrian Church of the East traces its lineage to apostolic times, but broke with Rome after the Council of Chalcedon; it went through a series of divisions beginning in the 16th century, with many members seeking reunion with Rome in what is now the Chaldean Catholic Church.

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