Mari Emmanuel (born 19 July 1970) is an Iraqi-born

Assyrian Australian Assyrian Australians ( syr, ܐܵܬܘܿܪ̈ܵܝܹܐ ܕܐܘܼܣܛܪܵܠܝܼܵܐ), refers to ethnic Assyrians possessing Australian nationality. They are descended from the Northern Mesopotamian region, specifically the Assyrian homeland. Today ...

Metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of the Ancient Assyrian Church of the East who presides over the Diocese of Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Early life

Mar Mari Emmanuel was born Robert Shlimon at T1 station in

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Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and he settled in Australia in the early 1980s. He worked as a bank manager in the 1990s, before becoming a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

and then later a reverend in the 2000s.

Tenure

In August 2011, Mar Yacoub Daniel and Mar Zaia Khoshaba consecrated Mar Mari Emmanuel as a suffragan bishop for the archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand, assisting the Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand. Previously known as reverend Emmanuel Shlimon, he adopted the episcopal name of 'Mari Emmanuel' (after

Saint Mari Saint Mari, also known as Mares and originally named Palut, is a saint of the Church of the East. He was converted by Thaddeus of Edessa, or Addai, and is said to have had Mar Aggai as his spiritual director. Missionary work He is believed to ...

) at the time of becoming a bishop. In July 2013, while on a visit to Australia,

Mar Addai II Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third mon ...

bestowed the patriarchal confirmation upon Mari Emmanuel. In August 2014, he was suspended by the Patriarch, Addai II. However, since there was no evidence for accusations he had since returned to the church and remained as metropolitan bishop. In January 2015, Mari Emmanuel established an independent church in Wakeley which is currently known as ''Christ The Good Shepherd Church''. In 2016, Mari Emmanuel was received into communion with metropolitan, Toma Gewargis, who paid a visit to the church later that year. Since 2017, Mari Emmanuel annually visits the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

where he conducts preaching ministries in several states such as

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. He has also paid several visits to the separatist and anti-patriarchal parish in Modesto, California, and the congregation acknowledge him as a spiritual prelate alongside the two metropolitans and recite his name in their

litanies Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin '' litania'' from Ancient Greek λιτανεία (''li ...

. Mari Emmanuel's 'Christ The Good Shepherd Church' also celebrates Christmas according to the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

date in line with the patriarchal decree of June 2010, making it a new calendarist church rather than an old one.

Controversies

Suspension

Addai II visited the parishes of the archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand in 2013, and during his visit gave Mari Emmanuel the patriarchal confirmation, though he disapproved of a number of activities related to the bishop and issued a deadline in order for these activities to be repelled. These disapprovals varied from a range of different areas such as

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

and social conduct of the bishop. The deadline expired, and Addai II went ahead and suspended Mari Emmanuel in July 2014 for disobeying the Nicene Creed canons promulgated by the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort ...

in AD 325.

COVID-19

On 19 July 20, 2021, amid the

SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in India in late 2020. The Delta variant was named on 31 May 2021 and had spread to over 179 countries by 22 November 2021. The ...

outbreaks and the lockdown in Sydney, the bishop presented an online

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...

that reprimanded the COVID-19 vaccinations and

lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

s, stating that the coronavirus is "just another type of the

flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

, no more, no less". His YouTube video had been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom agreeing with the bishop on how the pandemic impacts society's mental health and the economy of

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

. In his video, he implored the Australian prime minister

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for th ...

and NSW premier

Gladys Berejiklian Gladys Berejiklian (born 22 September 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejiklian became a member ...

to do more and aid those with financial and emotional adversity, in addition to saying, "have we really lost the plot?". Though the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

discouraged the video's

information Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...

, with NSW health minister Brad Hazzard responding, " anti-vaxxers obviously live in another universe", stating how serious and fatal the virus is.Bishop Preaches Against Vaccine
by

Sandra Sully Sandra Sully (born 18 February 1965) is an Australian news presenter and journalist and editor for ''10 News First'' in Sydney and Queensland. Sully attended Brisbane State High School, graduating in 1978. Life and career Sully was the firs ...

from

10 News First ''10 News First'' is an Australian television newscast, produced by Network 10. The network's ninety-minute long news program airs at 5pm each evening covering local, national and world news, including sport and weather. Weekend editions are ...

. 20 July, 2021.

References

{{reflist

External links

Mar Mari on his false allegationsChrist the Shepherd Church (official website)"What Has Become of Australia"
speech where the bishop slams

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

lockdowns Living people 1970 births Ancient Church of the East Iraqi emigrants to Australia Iraqi Assyrian people Australian people of Assyrian descent Australian people of Iraqi descent 21st-century bishops People excommunicated by the Church of the East Bishops of Syriac Christianity Syriac Christians Iraqi bishops Metropolitan bishops Clergy from Sydney