Council of Hierarchs communiqué: “Water can be shared. It cannot be sold.”
25 September 2026
The Council of Hierarchs of the Syro-Iradi Church held its autumn session in the chapter house on Cathedral Hill from 21 to 24 September under the presidency of Mar Ephrem. The communiqué was read in the parishes on Sunday 27 September.
Decisions
- The Council approved the Tartip for the liturgical year 2026–2027, which will be on sale at the cathedral bookshop and in the parishes from 1 November.
- It approved the third phase of the Conservation Plan for the cathedral dome: the retiling of the north quarter with handmade glazed tiles and lime mortar, to begin after Easter 2027.
- It received the report of St. Ephrem Seminary, which begins the year with 48 students.
- It thanked the faithful for the prayers for rain asked in recent summers, and asked parishes to continue the prayers at the springs in dry years.
The waters of the Naryn
The Council noted that the agreement on the waters of the Naryn is to be renewed in 2027. It recalled the Church’s teaching that water is a gift of God for the herds and fields of every family, and said: “Water can be shared, and must be shared justly, on both sides of every line. It cannot be pledged or sold by anyone, because it belongs to no one.” The bishops asked the faithful to pray for those who will take part in the talks.
Truthful information
Recalling its communiqué of 2024, the Council repeated its call for “constitutional order and truthful public information”, and asked all who hold public office to remember that “a people lives by words it can trust”.
The spring session will meet after Easter 2027.