Georgia: A church for the Assyrian and Chaldean Catholics in Tbilisi

GEORGIA

A church for the Assyrian and Chaldean Catholics in Tbilisi (Tiflis)

The Assyrian and Chaldean Catholics are to be found today living in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Georgia. Over the centuries they have fought to preserve their faith and also their language. The Assyrian Catholics have been present in Georgia since the middle of the 18th century and currently number around 7,000 members, living in various different cities in this country. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this community was able to rebuild its religious life once again. In May 1995 an Assyrian-Chaldean mission was established in Georgia, under the direction of the Vatican, and in September 2000 it set up a school for the faithful of this tradition. In recent years the number of its members has sharply increased, so that it has become necessary to build a church, together with a community centre for the parish and accommodation for the priests and nuns. But the community is not a wealthy one and cannot finance the construction from its own resources. The parish priest, Father Benny Beth Yadegar, with the support of his bishop, Mgr. Guiseppe Pasotto, has turned to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for help.

ACN has promised a grant of $35,000. To help this cause please contact the Sydney office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

Mgr. Guiseppe Pasotto

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