Ancient Church of the East

The Ancient Church of the East	The Ancient Church of the East
List of Patriarchs 	Mar Addai II
Headquarters 	Baghdad Iraq
Territory 	Iraq, Iran
Language 	Assyrian
Followers 	50,000–70,000
Website 	http://www.karozota.com/
 
The Ancient Church of the East (, ) separated from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964, after Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII, the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East introduced reforms which were not supported by a certain number of traditionalist followers of the church. Baghdad is the seat of the Ancient Church of the East and Mar Thoma Darmo its first Catholicos-Patriarch (1968-1969). The present head of the church is Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Addai II since 1970.
==Establishment==
The Ancient Church of the East was established in opposition to reforms introduced in the Assyrian Church of the East including using the new Roman liturgical calendar rather than the traditional calendar. The schism arose in the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964 in resistance to these changes made to the church, thereby causing a separate Ancient Church of the East to be established and centered in Baghdad. In 1968, the followers of the newly established church elected a rival catholicos-patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo while Mar Shimun XXIII continued as the official head of the Assyrian Church of the East.
The elected catholicos-patriarch was a native of Mesopotamia, a former Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the East in India from 1952 to 1968 based at Thrissur, India. He became the head of the Ancient Church of the East in October 1968 and relocated to Baghdad. Following his death in 1969, Mar Addai II was elected to head the Ancient Church of the East in February 1970.
==Organization==
The Ancient Church of the East is divided into a number of archdioceses and dioceses as follows:
*Patriarchal Archdiocese of Baghdad (Baghdad, Iraq) - Overseen by H.H. Mar Addai II Catholicos Patriarch
*Archidiocese of Kirkuk (Kirkuk, Iraq) - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Narsai Toma
*Archidiocese of Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq) - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Toma Gewargis
*Archidiocese of Syria and Lebanon
*Archidiocese of Europe (Mainz, Germany) - Overseen by Archbishop Timothaus Mar Shallita
*Diocese of USA and Canada (Chicago, Illinois) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Emmanuel Eilya
*Diocese of California (Modesto, California) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Daniel Yako
*Diocese of Australia and New Zealand - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Yacoub Daniel
==List of Catholicoi-Patriarchs of the Ancient Church of the East==
*Vacant (1964–1967) - first period of the schism
*Mar Thoma Darmo (1968–1969)
*Mar Addai II (1970–present)
==See also==
*Assyrian Church of the East
*Chaldean Catholic Church
*Assyrian people
*Church of the East & Abroad
*Patriarchs
==References==
*Mar Aprem Mooken, The Assyrian Church of the East in the Twentieth Century. Mōrān ’Eth’ō, 18. (Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2003).
*Bishop James Hess, Nestorian Apostolic Bishop, "Bishops at Large", by Bishop Alan Bain published in the UK. 1985
*Most Rev James H Hess, "A Directory of Autocephalous Bishops" by Bishop Karl Pruter, St Willibrord Press, USA, 1985
*Rev George Badger (Anglican priest and protege of the Archbishop of Canterbury), "Nestorians and Their Rituals", published by Oxford University circa 1860.
*The Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England, as published in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, Cambridge University Press, 1968
*"The Pearl (Marganitha), On The Truth of Christianity" Written in the year 1298 AD by Mar Odisho, Metropolitan of Suwa and Armenia. Translated and published in English by the late Patriarch, Shimun (Simon) XXIII, in 1964.
==External links==
*Ancient Church of the East
*St Zaia Cathedral, Diocese of Australia
*Ancient Church of the East Mar Shaleeta Parish in California
Category:Ancient Church of the East
Category:Syriac Christianity
Category:Religious organizations established in 1968
Category:Christian denominations, unions, and movements established in the 20th century
ar:كنيسة المشرق القديمة
frp:Anciana Égllése du Levant
da:Østens Gamle Kirke
de:Alte Kirche des Ostens
es:Antigua Iglesia del Oriente
fr:Ancienne Église de l'Orient
ml:പുരാതന പൗരസ്ത്യ സഭ
pl:Starożytny Kościół Wschodu
simple:Ancient Church of the East