Antiochian Orthodox Patriarch dies at 92
Ignatius IV (Hazim), Patriarch of Antioch and all the East has died in Lebanon at age 92.
Syria’s state news agency, Sana, reported last week that Patriarch Ignatius died in Beirut’s St George’s hospital in Beirut, Lebanon on December 5 after suffering a stroke. The report indicated that the Patriarch’s remains would be brought from Lebanon to Syria for burial.
A BBC news report erroneously referred to Ignatius IV as being “the Patriarch of Syria” and even “the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Syria.” Actually, the Orthodox Church in the world has separate branches, among them: Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and Antiochian Orthodox. Patriarch Ignatius had led Antioch and All The East, the largest Arab Christian Church in the Middle East, since 1979. There are believed to be about a million members in this branch, the majority of whom are Syrians.