Ancient Church of the East

Ancient Church of the East
Cathedral of the Virgin Mary Baghdad, Iraq
Abbreviation	ACE
Classification	Eastern Christianity
Orientation	Syriac Christianity
Catholicos-Patriarch	Gewargis III Younan
Language	Syriac
Liturgy	East Syriac Rite
Headquarters	Baghdad, Iraq
Separated from	Assyrian Church of the East
Members	70,000 in 1968;[1] approx. 75 000, of which 45 000 in Iraq and 20 000 in India (1999)[2]

The Ancient Church of the East is an Eastern Christian denomination. It branched from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964, under the leadership of Mar Toma Darmo (d. 1969). It is one of three Assyrian Churches that claim continuity with the historical Church of the East (the ancient Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon), the others being the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Since 1969, the see of the Ancient Church of the East is headquartered in Baghdad.^[2]