Ignatius Zakka I Iwas

Ignatius Zakka I has been the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church since 1980.  Born in Mosul, Iraq, his see is Antioch but he resides in Damascus, Syria. Orphaned at an early age, he began training for ecclesiastical life at age 13. A stellar student, he was ordained as a deacon and became a monk by age 21. He rose to Archbishop before being appointed Patriarch.

The Syriac Orthodox Church, like the Coptic and Armenian Orthodox Churches, agree with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy on many matters of doctrine, such as the Nicene and Apostolic creeds. However, the church does not agree to the Council of Chalcedon, which posits that Jesus had two separate natures, human and divine, instead arguing that these are facets of one combined nature. In addition to its many adherents in the Levant and Iraq, there are also many Syriac Orthodox believers in India.

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