His Beatitude Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Patriarch of Syriac-Catholic Church of Antioch has just completed his seventh trip to Turkey, a “Journey back to the Roots”. He made pastoral visits to his community in the great metropolis of Istanbul and that of the Mardin, a very old city to the east of the country. In Istanbul he met the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew and other religious leaders as well as the Governor "Wali".

    Then, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, Mgr. Paul F. RUSSEL, the Archbishop of Baghdad, Iraq, Mar Ephrem Yousif ABBA, the Patriarchal Vicar Orhan CANLI and a large delegation from the Catholic Syriac parish of the "Sacred Heart", Patriarch Younan flew to Mardin. This city also called the "Heroic" for its thousands of martyrs slaughtered because Christians, is considered as the historical home of the Syriac people with the neighboring region of "Tur-Abdin: the Mountain of the Servants of God", which has preserved the Aramaic dialect and was among the first peoples to be evangelized. But because of the persecutions over the centuries, Syriac people were to be scattered in several countries, including the metropolitan region of Istanbul.

    It was a very moving pilgrimage for this group of over 200 people who did accompany Patriarch Younan. They waited years and lived the nostalgia to revisit their ancestral land. But they were soon struck by what they saw: demographic changes, churches and convents destroyed or abandoned. Some people could not hide tears, experiencing cherished memories and mixed feelings of joy and sadness. It was there where their ancestors, used to peacefully plow the land or diligently work in various free professions, in a spirit of a community rooted in the Christian faith until the horrific years of the 1915-1918 genocide. In Mardin, today a city of 130 thousand inhabitants, the Christians count some 60 families served by only one priest, abuna Gabriel, a priest and father of 11 children. As a tribute to the ancestors, martyrs or confessors for the faith, Father Gabriel has to alternate the celebration of Holy Mass in each of the five churches still open in the city.

    On the first day of his arrival in Mardin, Patriarch Younan consecrated “Our Lady of the Assumption”, Syriac-Catholic Cathedral, which was restored by a dedicated lay committee. During the Holy Mass, he also ordained three young men as singers and readers. Then came the memorable two visits to Syriac-Orthodox monasteries still active and vibrant with life: the Holy Cross Monastery (Dayr-Ezzafaran) and Mor Gabriel Monastery near Medyat (Jabal-el-Tor). In each monastery headed by an Archbishop, Patriarch Younan was solemnly received. He did not fail to stop in the church of St. George in the village of “Qalat-Mara”, his father's native village, now empty of any Christian presence!

    The fate of the little village of Killit was worse! This village located in a valley an hour's drive north of Mardin, was totally emptied of its Christian inhabitants and remains deserted. We could still see its beautiful houses in bricks or stones all dismembered! It was really a very moving for abouna Habib, the Patriarchate’s secretary, the devastation to his forefathers village, Killit!

    But what most struck the pilgrims was to see the monastery of Saint Ephrem built at the top of Mardin, in a horrible state and completely devastated. This monastery had been confiscated, deprived of its grounds and converted into military barracks, its chapel serving as a barn!

    The pilgrims returned home to Istanbul with thanksgiving songs. They had realized throughout their visit, how much suffering their ancestors had endured, out of love of Christ. They felt proud to be able to carry the torch of faith and pass on this heritage to younger generations.

    The Syriac Catholic Church, like the other Christian communities in Turkey, is the small remnant called to live constantly Hope and to bear witness to the message of salvation for all peacemaker peoples. She knows whom she trusted, Jesus, the Savior who keeps reassuring her: "Do not be afraid, little flock .."

    Secretariat of the Syrian-Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch