Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church

The Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church, also known as the Syrian Orthodox Church of Europe, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in Germany.

History

The origins of the church began in 2006, in the renunciation of the Syriac Orthodox Church by the priest Moses Görgün and two monks, P. Isa Oygur and John P. Budak, due to disagreements with the Archbishop of Central Europe, Mor Julius Yeshu Cicek, whilst at the Monastery of Mor Ephrem in the Netherlands. The group requested that the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church establish a diocese in Europe and subsequently travelled to India to discuss the matter with the church. Their situation was considered during a synod in August 2007 and due to disagreements little progress was made towards responding to the matter.

However, on November 21 of the same year, Moses Görgün was consecrated metropolitan bishop of Europe in Thrissur by Bishop Yuhanon Mar Meletius of Thrissur and Bishop Thomas Mar Athanasius of Kandanad with the support of Bishop Thomas Mar Makarios of Europe, UK and Canada, upon which he assumed the name, Mor Severius Moses Görgün.^[2] On December 5, the Syriac Orthodox Church excommunicated Mor Severius Moses Görgün and his supporters.^[3] The consecration was recognised by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on December 7 after an episcopal synod was convened by the Primate of the church, Baselios Thoma Didymos I, who heard and accepted Yuhanon Mar Meletius and Thomas Mar Athanasius' reasons for consecrating Mor Severius Moses Görgün without the consent of the synod.^[4]

On March 16, 2009, the synod of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church elevated the archdiocese to the status of autocephaly and was granted the name of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Europe; Mor Severius Moses Görgün was appointed as Primate and Metropolitan of the church. In May, the jurisdiction of the church was confirmed to be restricted to Europe by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and that the church had no jurisdiction over the church in India. Despite this, on March 21, 2010, Mor Severius Moses Görgün consecrated Mor Bartholomaos Joseph as metropolitan bishop of Angamaly, a diocese within the jurisdiction of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.^[5]

As a result of this infringement, Baselios Thoma Didymos I excommunicated Mor Severius Moses Görgün and withdrew his recognition of the church.^[6] This led the church to change its name to reflect its presence outside of Europe and on April 28, 2010, the synod of the church changed the name of the church to the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church.^[7] Mor Severius Moses Görgün continued to ignore the wishes of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and on 17 June 2010 Mar Timotheos Yuhanon was consecrated bishop for Idukki, another diocese within the jurisdiction of the church in India.

The following year, however, to soothe relations with the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the synod of the Antiochian Syriac Orthodox Church choose to dissolve the dioceses of Idukki and Angamaly in September and their bishops stood down. In Spring 2012, the church began construction of the Monastery of St. Gabriel, near Altenbergen, Germany, and in August 2014, the monastery was consecrated and became the headquarters of the church.^[1]

References