To His Holiness Mar Awa III

Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:3)

With fraternal joy I send greetings to Your Holiness together with assurances of my closeness in prayer on the occasion of your enthronement as Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. May Almighty God grant Your Holiness abundant spiritual gifts so that you will be a true shepherd for your people, and an untiring builder of peace and fraternity in serving the common good.

I likewise express my gratitude to your esteemed predecessor, His Holiness Mar Gewargis III, whose devoted service to the Lord will surely continue to inspire you and all the faithful. His concern for improving relations with other Christian Churches reinforces our hope that one day all the followers of Christ will find themselves fully united in that love and reconciliation which the Lord so earnestly desires (cf. Jn 17:21).

I pray too that relations between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East will grow ever closer, not only in the fraternal spirit of cooperation but also through a deepening of the theological dialogue that will enable us to grow in communion and to bear witness before the world to the saving truth of the Gospel.

With esteem and brotherly affection, I cordially invoke God’s blessings upon you and upon all the faithful entrusted to your care.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 9 September 2021

FRANCIS