in Sacred Theology, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome Mar Awa III (born David Maran Royel; 4 July 1975)[1] is an Assyrian-American prelate who serves as the 122nd Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
[citation needed] Under his tenure, Mar Awa established the St. Issac of Nineveh Monastery in California in addition to the tonsuring and clothing of two monks.
[citation needed] As Bishop, Mar Awa has made many attempts to raise awareness for the plight of the persecuted Christians of the Middle East.
Rhodes condemned ISIL's targeting of religious minorities, and outlined the Administration's plan to protect and aid the civilians impacted by the terrorist organization.
[7] On 6 September 2021, Mar Gewargis III formally stepped down as Catholicos-Patriarch during an Extraordinary Session of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East, leaving the Patriarchal See vacant.
He was consecrated and enthroned as Catholicos-Patriarch on 13 September 2021, on the Feast of the Holy Cross, in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist in Erbil, Iraq, and assumed the ecclesiastical name Mar Awa III.