Ignatius Zakka I

Ignatius Zakka I was born as Sanharib Iwas in Mosul, Iraq, on April 21, 1933. He joined the St. Ephrem Theological Seminary in Mosul in 1946 and was ordained as a deacon in 1948 and as a subdeacon in 1953. He took monastic vows in 1954 and adopted the name Zakka. He became the secretary of the patriarchs Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum and Ignatius Jacob III. He studied at the City University of New York and the General Theological Seminary in the United States. He was ordained as a priest in 1957 and as a bishop in 1963. He served as the metropolitan of Baghdad and Basra and later as the metropolitan of Central Europe. He was elected as the patriarch of Antioch and all the East in 1980, after the death of Ignatius Jacob III. He took the name Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. He moved to Damascus, Syria, where he established the St. Ephrem Theological Seminary and the Patriarchal Library. He also founded many churches, monasteries, and institutions around the world. He was a leader in the ecumenical movement and a president of the World Council of Churches. He met with Pope John Paul II in 1984 and signed a common declaration of faith. He also met with other Christian leaders and heads of states. He wrote many books and articles on theology, history, and spirituality. He ordained many bishops and priests, including Baselios Thomas I as the Catholicos of India. He celebrated his silver jubilee in 2005 and his golden jubilee in 2013. He died of heart disease in Kiel, Germany, on March 21, 2014. He was buried at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Maarat Saidnaya, Syria. He is remembered as one of the most influential and respected patriarchs of the Syriac Orthodox Church.