After a petition from the Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization in Botkyrka, Her Majesty the Queen Silvia invited representatives to officially deliver the gift of His Holiness the Patriarch Zakka I Iwas, that was sent from the Patriarchate in Syria.
The gift was a liturgical bible in the Aramaic language that was delivered by the hands of the Very Reverend Father Chabo Elkhoury and the deacons Stefan Aydin and Josef Aslan.
The prayer book of Queen Silvia
In 2010, the prayer book of Queen Silvia was published and in this regard was a petition sent to the royal palace and Her Majesty the Queen’s secretary to receive a signed example to His Holiness Zakka I Iwas, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all East.
With great respect by her majesty the Queen, a signed example was given and delivered officially to His Holiness the Patriarch in Syria 2010 when the Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization from Botkyrka together with Very Reverend Father Chabo Elkhoury visited His Holiness.
During the audience, His Holiness was informed about the work of Her Majesty the Queen and her commitment to children in need and Her Majesty the Queen’s Foundation World Childhood that was founded 1999 with the purpose of working for the right of every children to a safe childhood and to work for an improvement of children living under difficult circumstances all over the world.
His Holiness the Patriarch received the gift with great care and wished that we informed H.M. the Queen of the greetings and apostolic blessings of His Holiness and that the delegation of the Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization in Botkyrka delivered a new publication of a liturgical bible in Aramaic.
A royal invitation – an apostolic gift
During holy week 2011 an invitation came from the royal castle and H.M. the Queen of an audience to deliver the gift from His Holiness. The delegation of the Very Reverend Father Chabo Elkhoury and the deacons Stefan Aydin and Josef Aslan visited the castle on the 3rd of May and was received by the castle guards and H.M. the Queens secretary Sigrun Berg.
Her Majesty the Queen received the delegation and the much appreciated gift in one of her workrooms. The Very Reverend Father Chabo Elkhoury conveyed the greetings and apostolic blessings of His Holiness the Patriarch and thanked H.M. the Queen for the wonderful gesture of signing the prayer book that was given to His Holiness the Patriarch.
Her majesty the Queen asked with great interest about how to read the Aramaic writing and at the same time thanked His Holiness for the gift that she described as “the most precious book”. The Queen urged us to send a greeting to His Holiness the Patriarch that she appreciated the gift very much.
During the visit that lasted for about a half hour we discussed amongst other tings the situation of the Christian Aramaic (Syriac) community in Syria and the situation for the Christian Church in general in the middle east and the situation of the Aramaic community in Iraq and the situation of the Coptic Church in Egypt. H.M. the Queen was well informed about the situation for the Christians and showed a genuine concern for the Christian Church today.
Her Majesty the Queen was informed about the situation of the monastery of Mor Gabriel and about the causes of the emigration from Turabdin, the mountain of the servants of God, in South eastern Turkey and the homicide of 1915 on the Syriac/Aramaic community.
Her Majesty the Queen also received a bouquet of flowers and a picture book about Turabdin written in English and German; the book of Patriarch Aphrem “The scattered pearls” and His Holiness Patriarch Zakka I Iwas short introduction about the Syrian Orthodox Church "The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch At A Glance".
As a conclusion we thanked H.M. the Queen for her beautiful reception and humility. We also invited H.M. the Queen to come and visit St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Church in Botkyrka.
The day was concluded by one of the ladies in waiting following the delegation out and thanking for the visit. After the visit we informed the assistant of His Holiness the Patriarch, Archbishop Mattias Nayis, about the visit and the greetings and thankfulness of H.M. the Queen towards His Holiness the Patriarch.
Eternally grateful
The Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization in Botkyrka wants to thank His Holiness Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and all East and Her Majesty the Queen Silvia for their leadership, commitment and good will. A warm thank you to the royal court, the secretaries of H.M. the Queen Margareta Liljehöök (former) and Sigrun Berg (present) and Henrik Garlöv, web co-ordinator, and a big thank you also to the Patriarchal assistant, Archbishop Mattias Nayis, for his commitment and Abbot Elio Atto who wrote the Aramaic bible with his beautiful handwriting.
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