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Bet-Nahrain Forum
Regarding the article written by defrock and excommunicated bishop on Kaldaya.net
Posted By: Deacon Allen Youssefi (adsl-75-61-234-254.dsl.pltn13.sbcglobal.net)
Date: Tuesday, 10 January 2012, at 1:12 a.m.
Dear defrocked and later excommunicated bishop of our Holy and Beloved Church,
Please take a few minutes to read this. This is regarding the article (see link below) you have posted on Kaldaya.net....http://www.kaldaya.net/2012/Articles/01/15_Jan07_BishopMarBawiSoro.html
You have stated the following:
“Over the years it has been a custom for Patriarch Mar Dinkha to “talk the talk but not walk the walk”. He preaches about “the clergy’s obligation to avoid intervention in politics”, “the duty of everyone to live charitable and vitreous life” and “the obligation of all to avoid hatred, jealousy and strife”. But, amazingly in the same letter he imprudently undermines others by making empty claims about them, namely, asserting that Christians from the Chaldean Church, the Syriac Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, ALL belong to one nation (his nation), i.e., the Assyrian Nation.”***Mr. Soro, first and foremost, I would like to stress on how you and the church that you are still awaiting to be part of, should address a Holy person: an Apostolic Patriarch. It is HIS HOLINESS Mar Dinkha, not “Mar Dinkha”.
His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV has ALWAYS, and again ALWAYS, emphasized the following points in each and every Apostolic Letter he sends regarding the birth of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ:
• The meaning, significance, importance, and role of the birth of Jesus Christ
• Peace on Earth by the birth of Christ, because it grants new hope to the mankind (sawra tawa qa bney nasha), because God sent his son to die for us to give us another chance to become his children and another opportunity to be heirs of his Kingdom.
• Promotion and preaching peace and tranquility within the Holy Church, which is the bride who faithfully awaits the return of her groom, Jesus Christ.
• The significance of Assyrians as a nation. Even though the Chaldean Church and other mentioned churches in your article, have left the Mother church at different times, our Patriarch has emphasized that we are all one nation, the Assyrian Nation, and he is right.
• The fine line between the duties of clergies and political activists/ groups. His Holiness has always stresses that we the clergy focus on preaching the name of our savior Jesus while praying for political activists/ groups to work faithfully for the rights of our nation, the Assyrian nation. And yes that includes your rights too, because you are an Assyrian.
• Fatherly advice to the sons and daughters of the Holy Church to be obedient to the rules and laws of the lands they live in.His Holiness Mar Dinkha has been sending these greetings for 35 years as the Catholicos and Patriarch of this Holy Church. You had the gift and the blessing of being a bishop within this Holy Church for over 20 years. How come starting this year, you have started refer to the Assyrian nation as “his nation” (referring to His Holiness Mar Dinkha). Please look back and remember who you were and what role did you have in this nation and church before you were defrocked and later excommunicated and stripped from all your Apostolic Ranks. His Holiness has never stated that this is “his nation”. All nations belong to our Lord God. The only thing is that you had left to pick on was an Apostolic greeting, which emphasizes all the points I mentioned above and much more, and turn it into a personal attack against this Patriarch. Wasn’t taking him to the courts over 3 times for deposition enough for you? Wasn’t throwing his sons and daughters in San Jose, Ceres, and San Francisco in the streets enough for you? Wasn’t all those things you did to the properties of these 3 churches (plus 2 other properties) enough for you? Now that the will of our Lord was for everything to return to His bride and for all His sons and daughters to be back to their homes, you have clinged on a letter?
Why do you escape from this fact that this nation is called the “Assyrian Nation”? Look back. It was this nation that fed you, paid your paychecks, sent you to school to get a degree, and treated you like a king in this very church, The Assyrian Church of the East!
His Holiness does walk the walk, but what about you? How many times have you publically supported political parties, associations, TVs, and media? How many times you collected money you collected donations from the people of your diocese within the Assyrian Church of the East and sent them to poor people in Middle East using your OWN name, videotaping those people constantly bringing your name, praising and thanking you for giving them the food? Please my dear, next time you want to falsely accuse our Patriarch of not walking the walk, look at yourself. Remember we ALL have to face Christ one day and answer for everything: You, I, and even His Holiness Mar Dinkha. You don’t have to tell me, but think to yourself: What would you tell Christ on that day? What do you have that you can present to him? Remember, we all have to answer for each and everything.
Later in your article, you have stated the following:
"“The heartbreaking tragedy is not only in what Mar Dinkha says, but also in how much he has misguided his clergy, institutions and many of his faithful. The root cause of this unfortunate situation is his capacity and choice to continue living in ecclesial isolation from other Churches, to disorient and disconnect himself and his flock from every ecclesial apostolic body in Christianity, in particular from the Successor of Saint Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”***Please excuse my ignorance, but it seems like you either have limited Internet access time and/or limited Internet access at your residence. For example, it seems like your Internet provider or the location of your residence has blocked your access to sites like www.youtube.com and news.assyrianchurch.org. If this is the case, can you please check these sites? You then might reconsider your comments about our Holy Church living in “isolation”. If you do not have time or resources to access these sites, let me just bring you up to speed on just SOME examples here and if you want, I can print the documents in these links and burn CDs of the video links below:
http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2011/05/31/h-g-mar-awa-participates-in-london-syriac-seminar/1632
http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2011/01/12/iraqs-christian-denominations-gather-in-peace/1174
http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2010/10/07/the-return-to-china/299
http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2010/07/23/delegation-visits-washington-d-c/83
http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2011/11/30/assyrian-church-of-the-east-delegates-attend-‘third-colloquium-syriacum’/3152
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmZb3EmSAO4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoC7PFiUyB8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ-cc8_kfyk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVcTckFkdDc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj0Lo2SMJpQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCWL0jbG2u8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4WI2WcgKo&feature=related
I think the articles are enough to keep you busy for a while. Again, if you are blocked from visiting these 2 sites, please let me know. I will print the articles and send them to you. I will also download the video links above and burn them and send them to you. This was on the so-called general isolation that you had mentioned.
Now to so called isolation from the Church of Rome. I don’t think I have to remind you about the common Christological declaration in 1994 between His Holiness Mar Dinkha and His Holiness the Pope, because you were standing right behind His Holiness while he signed the declaration. If I (being a 10 year old kid who watched the event on VHS video) remember it, you sure should easily remember it. In case you do not remember it, please see link below. This link is from Youtube, and again if your provider has blocked you from visiting youtube, please let me know and I will burn and send you a copy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow1ZXbRYvic
Further in the article, you have stated the following:
"Because of this serious situation, and for the sake of the salvation of souls, and in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Church he established, thousands of my beloved flock and clergy, along with myself, in year 2007 requested full-communion from the Catholic Church and in 2008 entered into the Chaldean Catholic Church. Thanks be to God and may His grace be to everyone, as well.”***The opportunity of salvation is present in each and every true Apostolic Church. Our Lord Jesus chose 12 from his disciples and called them the Apostles. To get to God and be the heirs of His Kingdom we HAVE TO go through His Son, Jesus Christ.
• “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
Now, to get to Jesus (to ultimately get to God the Father), we have to go through his disciples; Yes ALL of them, not just ONE or SOME of them.
• “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed TWELVE that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” (Mark 3: 13-15).
• “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40). Note: by “you”, Jesus is referring to his 12 DISCIPLES. Again not 1 or some, but ALL.
• In this passage, Jesus first prays for his 12 DISCIPLES (note the constant usage of the word “them” in the passage, which again suggests not one or some of the disciples, but ALL of them) and then prays for whomever that obeys them (the disciples), which is us, who are His sons and daughters in baptism. “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. (John 17:20)
• In the following passage, Jesus gives authority to his disciples, again not just one, namely Peter to forgive sins. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his ahands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they bsaw the Lord.” ( 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my aFather hath bsent me, even so csend I you.22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye aremit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” John 20:20-23)
• Finally, In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus commissions ALL of his 11 disciples (Judas had killed himself) to 1)baptize in the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, 2)make disciples of the nations (which basically means ordain bishops and priests so the apostleship may continue after their deaths that we today can have the chance for salvation as well), and 3) teaching THEM (meaning teaching those disciples of the nations everything Jesus had taught them and empowered them with).
• Now let’s move to Acts and see the involvement of ALL of the disciples, not one or some. In acts 2:42, we see that the believers “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”. Again, the believers did not devote themselves to the teachings or guidance of ONE or SOME apostles, but the apostles. Why? Because Our Lord Jesus had commissioned all of his Apostles before he ascended to heaven. When we look at the book of acts in many other areas (for example 2 Thessalonains 2:12-15), we see that Saint Paul (not from the original 12, but ordained and commissioned by the apostles) constantly uses the word “our”, meaning the apostles and the Church, which is again not subject to one or some of them.All these, along with many other passages from the words of our Lord, show that the opportunity of gaining salvation and eternal life is through the apostles, not just Peter. Jesus appointed Peter as the head of Apostles, but the apostle had equal of everything. Today, His Holiness Mar Dinakh is Peter in the Assyrian Church of the East, because he is the head of the Apostles of this church (which means fathers of this church) while His Holiness Pope is the Peter of the Roman Catholic Church for the very same reason. For the same reason and as another example, Pope Shouda is the Peter of the Coptic church, and so on.
So, you and the “thousands of your flock and clergy” joining the Catholic Church is not because of salvation or anything, it is because of other reasons that are now very known to everyone which I will not get into. By the way, you might want to recount your flock. I am a part of the Diocese of California and can say that the flock has returned to the Holy Church, because “ “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” (John 10:1-5)
May The Lord have mercy upon us.
His Unworthy Servant,
Deacon Allen Youssefi
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