About Ignatius Aphrem II
Mor Ignatius Aphrem II (born 3 May 1965 as Sa'id Karim; Arabic: سعيد كريم, romanized: Saʿīd Karīm) is a Syrian–American Christian prelate who has served as the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church since 29 May 2014. Born and raised in Qamishili, Syria, Karim became a monk in 1985 and was later ordained as a deacon and then as a priest. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Divinity from the Coptic Theological Seminary in Cairo in 1988. In 1992, he received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and in 1994, a Doctor of Divinity from St Patrick's College, Ireland. In 1996, Aphrem Karim was consecrated as the Patriarchal Vicar and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Eastern United States by Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. As an archbishop, he established 11 new parishes, bringing the number of parishes in the archdiocese to 20. He also created Syriac Orthodox Archdiocesan Youth Organization, an initiative to coordinate youth activities across parishes in the archdiocese. Upon his accession to the throne of Patriarch, Aphrem II took the patriarchal name Ignatius, becoming the second patriarch to bear the monastic name Aphrem after Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem Barsoum. Unlike his immediate predecessors, Aphrem II chose not to use Karim, his family name, in his official title. As a patriarch, he had made several apostolic visits to churches in the Middle East and also to churches in several countries. Aphrem II has been particularly vocal about his support for Syria and its people. Upon his accession to the throne of Patriarch, Aphrem II took the patriarchal name Ignatius, and also became the second patriarch to bear the monastic name Aphrem after Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem Barsoum. He created an advisory council to aid in oversight and administration of the archdiocese.
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