Ignatius Zakka I

His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
122nd Patriarch of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church
Native name	ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܙܟܝ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܥܝܘܐܨ إغناطيوس زكا الأول عيواص,
Church	Syriac Orthodox Church
See	See of Antioch
Appointed	14 September 1980
Term ended	21 March 2014
Predecessor	Ignatius Ya`qub III
Successor	Ignatius Aphrem II
Orders
Ordination	17 November 1957
Consecration	17 November 1963 (as Bishop) 14 September 1980 (as Patriarch) by Ignatius Ya`qub III (as bishop) Baselios Paulose II (as Patriarch)
Personal details
Born	Sanharib Iwas (1931-04-21)21 April 1931 Mosul, Iraq
Died	21 March 2014(2014-03-21) (aged 82) Kiel, Germany
Buried	Sts. Paul and Peter Cathedral, Maarat Saidnaya, Damascus, Syria
Nationality	Iraqi/Syrian/Lebanese[1]
Denomination	Syriac Orthodox
Previous post(s)	Archbishop of Baghdad and Basra Archbishop of Central Europe Metropolitan Bishop of Mosul
Alma mater	City University of New York General Theological Seminary

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (Syriac: ܐܝܓܢܐܛܝܘܣ ܙܟܝ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܥܝܘܐܨ; Arabic: إغناطيوس زكا الأول عيواص; Ignatios Zakkà ‘Īwāṣ, born Sanharib Iwas, 21 April 1931 – 21 March 2014) was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Also known by his traditional episcopal name, Severios, he was enthroned as patriarch on 14 September 1980 in St. George's Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus. He succeeded Ignatius Ya`qub III. As is traditional for the head of the church, Mor Severios adopted the name Ignatius.

Zakka was known for his involvement in ecumenical dialogue. He was a president of the World Council of Churches^[2] and also a prolific author. He was an observer at Second Vatican Council before becoming metropolitan bishop of Mosul. At the time of his election as patriarch, Mor Severios Zakka was serving as the archbishop of Baghdad and Basra. As patriarch, he established a monastic seminary, met with Pope John Paul II during the Roman Pope's visit to Syria in 2001, and installed numerous metropolitans, including Baselios Thomas I as Catholicos of India. He celebrated his Silver Jubilee in 2005.

Iwas was admitted to a hospital in Germany for angioplasty on 20 February 2014 and died on 21 March 2014.