Ignatius Abdul Masih II
| Ignatius Abded Mshiho II | |
|---|---|
| Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East | |
 |
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| Church | Syriac Orthodox Church |
| See | Antioch |
| Installed | 1895 |
| Term ended | 1903 |
| Predecessor | Ignatius Peter IV |
| Successor | Ignatius Abded Aloho II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1854 Qal’at Mara, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 30 August 1915 Monastery of Mor Hananyo, Ottoman Empire |
| Residence | Monastery of Mor Hananyo |
Moran Mor Ignatius Abded Mshiho II (1854 – 30 August 1915) was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1895 until his deposition in 1903.
Abded Mshiho was born in the village of Qal’at Mara, east of Mardin, in 1854 and at the age of 12, in 1866, he joined the Monastery of Mor Hananyo where he began his education. Seven years later, in 1873, he entered the monastic orders, becoming a monk. In 1875, Abded Mshiho was ordained as priest, and in 1886, he was consecrated as a bishop.
After the death of Patriarch Ignatius Peter IV in 1894, a rivalry began between Abded Mshiho and Gregorius Abded Sattuf, metropolitan bishop of Homs and Hama, to be elected to the patriarchal throne. According to American missionaries operating in Syria at the time, the Ottoman government interfered and intimidated bishops based on the highest bidder. However, in 1895, Abded Mshiho was elected and consecrated patriarch, upon which he assumed the patriarchal name Ignatius.
Abded ascended to the patriarchal throne at the onset of a time of great difficulty for the Syriac Orthodox Church as, in October of the same year, demonstrations held by Armenian and Syriac Christians against the Ottoman governor of Amed led to a massacre at the hands of the Muslim population throughout the province and the deaths of two-thirds of Syriac Christians in the Ottoman Empire.
According to Father Armalet, the governor summoned Abded to Amed, where the patriarch witnessed the effects of the massacre first-hand, and according to oral tradition this experience traumatised him, causing Abded to drink upon his return to the patriarchal seat. The oral tradition claims that Abded's drinking led to his deposition by a group of bishops within the church. During the massacres, the village of Qal’at Mara, the birthplace of Abded, was abandoned due to Kurdish attacks.
Abded remained patriarch until his deposition on 10 November 1903, however by who and why is highly controversial within the church. The deposition was the result of an order of prohibition by the rulers of the region on 10 November 1903 and withdrawal of the firman granted to Abded Mshiho upon his ascendency. Supporters of his successor, Ignatius Abded Aloho II, claim that Abded Mshiho had converted to Catholicism and was excommunicated by the Holy Synod as a result. Whereas supporters of Abded Mshiho claim Abded Sattuf bribed the Ottoman Government to issue a firman deposing Abded Mshiho as Patriarch and that he was not excommunicated by the Holy Synod.
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