His Holiness John Yazigi was elected Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East last week. A native of Syria, Patriarch John most recently served as the Metropolitan in Western Europe. He will succeed Patriarch Ignatius IV, who passed away on December 5.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a letter of congratulations to the newly elected Patriarch. “Your election as the first servant of our sister Church at the threshold of the New Year and Christmas is a sign of hope as the Church in the Middle East overcomes the grief following the death of your predecessor,” he wrote. “May God inspire you to continue the tireless work of your predecessors in fulfilling the spiritual needs of His people, by encouraging reconciliation in the face of conflicts and by promoting ongoing interreligious dialogues.”
