On Monday, September 26, 2022, Archimandrite Oshagan Gulgulian, head of the Armenian Orthodox sect in Iraq, and his accompanying delegation, the members of the Armenian Diocesan council, were received by the pastor, chairman, and members of the Armenian Diocesan sub council of the St. Virgin Mary church, and also by Mr. Vahig Seranian, member of the Kurdistan Parliament, chairmen and members of the Armenian Diocesan sub councils of Duhok and the village of Avzrok, as well as the priests of the Christian denominations in Zakho. After the prayers, Father Atam Movsesian, Pastor of St. Virgin Mary church of the Armenian Orthodox in Zakho, and Mr. Daoud Mardirosian, Chairman of the Armenian Diocesan sub council, welcomed the Archimandrite which was his first visit to zakho. During the pastoral visit of the Archimandrite, he visited accompanied by the delegation of the St. Virgin Mary Church of the Armenian Orthodox in Zakho, the eighth branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, where they were received by Mr. Ali Awni, head of the branch, and several branch members. His Eminence also visited the cemetery of the Armenians in Zakho and prayed for their souls. And on Monday afternoon, the Archimandrite visited the construction project of the new St. virgin Church in Zakho, accompanied by the church pastor and the chairman, and members of the Armenian Diocesan sub-council of Zakho. Mr. Daoud Mardirosian, the project’s general supervisor, explained to the Archimandrite the construction stages, which won the Archimandrite’s admiration for this great edifice. In the evening, the head presided over the prayers that were held at St. Virgin Mary church, in the presence of the members of the Armenian Diocesan council and the chairman and members of the Armenian Diocesan sub council of Zakho. At the end of the prayer, a gift was presented to the archimandrite, it was a holy cross that was made in Zakho From the Tovkar stone that was ordered from Armenia and which is currently being used in building the new St. Virgin Mary Church, then the Archimandrite get acquainted with the believers and asked them to feel free and ask anything they would like.
