Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim

Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim (left) with the Austrian State Secretary Reinhold Lopatka 2012

Mor Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim ( Aramaic ܡܪܝ ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܐܒܪܗܡ; * August 18, 1948 in Qamishli , Syria ; born as Yohanna Ibrahim ) is a Syrian clergyman and the Syrian Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo . He was kidnapped on April 22, 2013; since then there has been no sign of life from him.

Life

education

Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim studied theology and philosophy at the St. Ephräm Seminary in Atchaneh, Lebanon , after completing his regular school education . He received his master’s degree in Eastern Churches at the Oriental Institute in Rome and in 1976 his bachelor’s degree on oriental canon law . Ibrahim received his PhD from the University of Birmingham . The topic of his dissertation was " Christian Arabs in Mesopotamia before Islam".

Priestly and Episcopal Life

On July 26, 1973 Ibrahim made his monastic profession. He was ordained a deacon on February 13, 1976 and a priest two days later. From 1967 to 1976 Ibrahim was the first Syrian Orthodox pastor in Belgium and the Netherlands to be responsible for pastoral care in two parishes. He was appointed head of the Diocese of Sweden , where one of the largest Syrian Orthodox congregations in the world lives, for the years 1976 and 1977 . From 1977 he was the head of the Theological Seminary in Lebanon. One of his students was the later Patriarch Ignatius Ephrem II Karim . Prior to becoming a bishop, he served on the Middle East Council of Churches and the Global Christian Forum . On March 4, 1979, he received the episcopal ordination of Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III. , where he also took the name Gregorius. In future he was to lead the Archdiocese of Aleppo. From 1980 to 1988 he was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches . Ibrahim founded the al-Raha-Mardin-Verlag in Aleppo, which has already published more than 200 books.

kidnapping

On April 22, 2013, Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim and Bulos Jasidschi , the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, were kidnapped in al-Mansura while they were on the way to negotiating the release of two kidnapped priests. The driver of her car, a deacon , was shot dead. Since then there have been many rumors about her kidnappers and their possible imminent release, but no certainty. Since the kidnapping, monk Boutros Kassis took over the management of the archdiocese. On April 23, 2013, Pope Francis demanded the release of the kidnapped bishops, the end of the war in Syria and a political solution to the conflict.

In 2014 Ibrahim and Jasidschi received the human rights award of the city of Weimar in their absence (or posthumously ) .

Works

• The concept of jurisdiction and authority in the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. (Concept of Jurisdiction and Authority in the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch).
• Syrian music. 2003 (ܡܘܣܝܩܝ ܕܣܘܪ̈ܝܝܐ الموسيقى السريانية).
• Diary of a bishop. 1998 (يوميات مطران) (editor).
• A man of God: Mar Dionysios Georgios Al'Qas Behnam Metropolitan of Aleppo 1912-1992 His life and time. 1997 (رجل الله مار ديونيسيوس جرجس القس بهنام حياته).
• The pride of the Syrians: Mar Ignatios Ephrem Barsaum Patriarch of Antioch 1887-1957: biography and bibliography , 1996. (السريان مار أغناطيوس أفرام الأول برصوم حياته و مؤلفاته).
• Syrians: Faith and Civilization IV , 1983–1986. (السريان: ايمان و حضارة ١-٥) (editor).

literature

• Mikael Oez and Aziz Abdul-Nour: Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim: Pluralism, Dialogue, and Co-Existence. Modern Aramaic Press, London 2016, ISBN 978-0-9929814-2-6 .

Web links

• Attack on Christians in Syria. Brigade kills deacon and kidnaps two bishops. Retrieved March 6, 2016 . 
• It is an anniversary of the kidnapping of two Syrian bishops. Retrieved March 6, 2016 . 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Primates of The Universal Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch & All the East. In: Syriacchristianity.info. Accessed April 4, 2019 . 
2. ^ Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim. In: Orthodoxia.ch. Accessed April 4, 2019 . 
3. ^ Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim. In: Syriacchristianity.info. Accessed April 4, 2019 . 
4. ^ Their Eminences Mor Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim & Gregorios Boulos Yazigi were kidnapped. In: soc-wus.org. Retrieved April 4, 2019 (English, Arabic). 

predecessor	Office	successor
Dionysius Behnam Gewargis	Syrian Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo since 1979	-