A Historic Quarter Century

By Bar 'Eato Briro Dr. Babu Paul*

His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, Prince Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, successor to St. Peter, Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church (Moran Patriarch, or Zakka, for short) ascended the ancient Petrine Throne in Antioch, currently located in Damascus, on September 14, 1980. The reign has been historic in more ways than one.

As one who has had the privilege of knowing Moran Patriarch ever since that beautiful morning of Mediterranean autumn I have watched the steps from close by. The church has become more modern than what Zakka inherited. The church has become more ecumenical than when he took the reins. The church has enhanced its geographical spread. The church has brought to end conflicts from the first millennium, with the Roman Catholic Church in terms of faith and communion and with the Greek orthodox Church in terms of social interaction in West Asia.

The period of Yacoub III was certainly momentous. It marked a significant departure from the insular isolation to which the church had confined itself in the preceding decades, necessitated partly by the migrations to the West, but made possible by the generous and visionary approach of Yacoub III. The most significant event in Christendom during that Patriarchate was the Second Council of Vatican. Yacoub III sent his future successor to Vatican as an accredited observer. He also encouraged Zakka, the young monk and junior Metropolitan, to actively involve himself in the work of Pro Oriente. It was Yacoub III who began the practice of “risking” the exposure of our monks to western theological formation and in this experiment he was encouraged by the performance of Zakka, who, despite being sent to the General Seminary and other places that do not belong to his own church, remained loyal to the traditions of the forefathers.

The Aprem Patriarchate was mostly inward-looking but it consolidated the unity of the faithful and made it possible for Yacoub III to venture, albeit cautiously, to test waters by sending Zakka to the General Seminary, the Vatican Council and the Pro Oriente. Thus the progress made during the last quarter century is a logical continuation of a process initiated by Yacoub III, which in turn had been made possible by Aprem I, who had ensured by his scholarly though conservative stance, that the church would not fall to anarchy by exposure to new ideas. Unless one is sure of the basic tenets of one’s faith, and trained to be loyal to the right Patristic traditions, a sudden thrust into the unpredictable world can kill faith, and consequently, the vigour of the church as an entity. It is for this reason that I trace to the Aprem Patriarchate the background of the success of the Zakka Patriarchate.

While offering felicitations on behalf of the Indian church to Moran Patriarch on September 14, 1980 I had hoped that God would grant Moran Patriarch the wisdom to lead the church into the twenty first century, which at that time looked far away for many people. In a private conversation the very next day Moran discussed with me the long term vision of his Patriarchal reign. He had said even at that time that the church needed educated clergy and enlightened Episcopal hierarchy to be able to communicate with the youth who were being exposed to all kinds of influences, not only in the west but also elsewhere as in the developing countries. To appreciate the wisdom of the man let us recall that these words were uttered by him in 1980, long before Reagan said that the world was one big marketplace, long before the Internet made cartographical borders less significant, and long before the expression “global village” became popular.

The first major step by the new Patriarch was to promote on a much larger scale western education for the clergy. He increased the number of people sent abroad, to USA, Rome, Greece, Russia and India. John 17:12 turned out to be true, including the last part of “one doomed”, but only one!! Moran Patriarch told me that all except the one who defrocked himself in the Russian winter came back not only better informed in theology but also more strengthened in the Syrian Orthodox faith and traditions. The net result is that today we have in the church a galaxy of young Metropolitans who are deeply rooted in our tradition while widely exposed to the world at large.

A logical extension of this was the establishment of a modern Seminary in the suburbs of Damascus. That seminary and the Udayagiri Seminary in Malankara should enter into more exchange programmes, both at the teachers’ and the students’ level. It is taking place already but the scale has to increase. I do see why the takers are few on either side. Those in West Asia prefer to go to Europe, and so do those from India except those who are keen on spoken Syriac or on an ecclesiastical “career”. This has to change. The advantage for those from the west is that they get an exposure to a vibrant church operating in a free democratic secular multi religious environment and the Serampore university degrees recognised all over the world; the advantage for Malayalees is the first hand experience of the crucible in which was formed the faith and traditions which all of us are proud of. Unless there is friendly compulsion this exchange would be a stillborn child and it would only be an appropriate Silver Jubilee Project to begin this exchange in a big way.

Equally important was the action by Moran Patriarch to devote greater attention to WCC and MECC. It led to the MECC and later the WCC being headed by our Patriarch. The position is of little significance for a Patriarch, and an erudite one at that, but it is a signal to the rest of the Christian world of a symbiotic relationship between an ancient denomination and a modern organisation.

From close quarters I have seen how studious the Patriarch is even after a quarter century as Patriarch. He could relax and rest on oars by now if he wished, but not Zakka who believes that we live in a borderless world which revels in boundless knowledge where the knowledge- horizon goes on receding each day without fail, and you relax at your own peril!

Having spent weeks on end with the Patriarch, I can vouch for his faithful adherence to the traditions and the rituals of the church. He observes all Lents and fasts rigorously and makes no compromise on the canonical prayers, whether he is traveling abroad or staying at home.

My generation is fortunate to have had Zakka as our Patriarch. The next generation is bound to be grateful for his initiatives because history is going to judge him as the Patriarch who understood the vibrations of a fast changing world, where perpendicular intergenerational links get snapped and lateral intragenerational links assume greater significance adding to the burden and responsibility of parents and patriarchs alike to keep the earth on its axis, as it were.

The only point of regret is that this peace-loving man has not been able to bring about reconciliation in Malankara. As one who knows how the mind of His Holiness operates I would merely say that God would not hold him responsible either for all that is being done in his name or for all that is being alleged against his name. People who pursue personal agendas galore in the world and well meaning souls pay the price, but their reward is in heaven (Matthew 5:12)

May God grant us the fortune to be led by this holy soul for many more years. Another quarter century is not impossible to dream of with the greater longevity of the new century. Moran gains little by continuing but the church would lose a lot if he were not there and so let us pray for his long life and good health. Of course we do pray in every First Diphthiko, but we must pray for our Patriarch every time we pray, morning and evening, day by day, everyday; I have the moral right to make this suggestion because I have done it for twenty five years now and have no intention of stopping as long as I am alive.

Barekmor, Moran, Koosan Baslomo.

*Formerly Ombudsman Judge, Kerala State.
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