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Ignatios Shukrallah Maloyan (1869-1915) Shukrallah Maloyan was the son of Malkun and Farida Maloyan, born in 1869 at Mardin, the fourth son amongst eight children (one girl and seven boys). Father Hoseb Garyan, the priest of the parish of Mardin, noticed the signs for a pastoral call in Shukrallah, aged fourteen, so he sent him to the patriarchal convent of Bzommar in Lebanon. After five years in the seminary, Ignatios left Bzommar and returned to Mardin to be among his family due to his frail health and the life of abstinence he was leading. He stayed there for three years, regained his health and then went back to Bzommar. Shukrallah pursued his high studies and set for minor orders. In 1896, the day dedicated to the Heart of Jesus, he was ordained priest in the church of the Bzommar convent and became a member of the Institute of the Patriarchal Clergy of Bzommar and adopted the name of Ignatios. Father Ignatios stayed in Bzommar convent for a year and a half where he studied and practiced preaching and dedicated himself to self educating and prayer. During the years 1897-1910, Father Ignatios was appointed as parish priest of Alexandria and Cairo, where his reputation for holiness became widespread. He passionately dedicated his life to serving his parishioners. He regularly visited the poor and the sick, preached and taught at spiritual retreats, opened a new school in Cairo and restored the presbitary in Alexandria. During his leisure moments, he studied French and English and then Hebrew so that he could accurately understand the words of Scriptures and strengthen his spiritual life. His Beatitude Patriarch Boghos Bedros XII Sabbaghian found in the person of Father Ignatios Maloyan positive qualifications, so he invited him to Istanbul in 1904 and appointed him as his assistant. But he didn’t stay there for long because of a disease that hit his eyes, and suffocating difficulty in breathing, he returned to Egypt where the weather suited his health and he stayed there till 1910. The parish of Mardin was in a state of anarchy and in an urgent need of a person like Father Ignatios Maloyan. His Beatitude Patriarch Sabbaghian sent Father Ignatios Maloyan to his birth place to replace the resigned bishop Hovsep Goulian, who was eighty years old. Father Ignatios Maloyan endowed the parish school with paternal care. He strengthened it with qualified priests and laic and elevated its standard educationally and morally. After a local statistic, the majority of the public and clergymen approved the nomination of Father Ignatios Maloyan to replace the resigned bishop. On the 22 October 1911, the Synod Fathers assembled in Rome, elected Father Ignatios Maloyan a bishop of the parish of Mardin. He was ordained by Patriarch Boghos Bedros XII Terzian. Before leaving for Mardin, the elected bishop visited the Bzommar convent and stayed there for about a year. Then he left for Mardin where he took over his new assignment and planned on renewing the parish of Nahara. The priority was given to the school. He elevated its scientific, educational, clerical and moral standards and personally pursued the students’ activities, exams, lives and their spiritual conducts. All this didn’t stop him from enriching his personal spiritual life. He was on a daily basis loyally dedicated to the holy Mass, spiritual life, meditations and visited the sacred sacrament. He was particularly loyal to the worshipping of the sacred Heart of Jesus and worked hard on spreading it among his congregation in all churches. The Lord blessed the worship of bishop Ignatios to his sacred Heart and His care arranged for his martyrdom in June, the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The worship of the month of saint Mary also had a big share in the care of Bishop Ignatios, who always took every opportunity to talk about the virtues of the Virgin encouraging his people to love his Heavenly Mother. The Bishop Ignatios’ relationship with the government was strong and on a high level. He was respected and honored by all. He was granted international medals by orders from the Sultan. He was fluent in Armenian, Turkish, Arabic, French, English and Italian and because of his fluency in these languages, he deserved the appreciation and respect of the government . During
World War I, Turkey joined the Axis countries and the Turkish government decided
to eliminate the Armenian nation. This genocide reached its peak on April 24,
1915 when the Turkish Minister of Internal Affairs, Mehmet Talaat Pasha,
announced the elimination of the Armenians claiming they were carrying arms
against Turkey and betraying it. On April 30, 1915, Turkish soldiers surrounded
the Armenian Catholic bishop's residence and church in Mardin on the basis that
they were hideouts for arms, but their search was fruitless so the soldiers went
on to wreck everything within their reach even the Bishop’s archives and the
parish files. On June 3, 1915, three Turkish officers arrived at Bishop Ignatios Maloyan’s residence, dragged him in chains to court for interrogation with twenty seven other Armenian Catholic personalities. The next day, twenty five priests and eight hundred and sixth-two believers were held in chains. During
trial, the chief of the police, Mamdouh Bek, asked Bishop Ignatios Maloyan to
hand over the hidden weapons but the Bishop answered him that he had always been
faithful to the government, and for his honesty he was awarded high medals from
the sultan. Mamdouh Bek suggested to Bishop Ignatios Maloyan to
convert to Islam, the bishop answered that he would not betray the Church in
which he grew up on the Christian faith. The good shepherd assured him that he
was ready to tolerate all kinds of sufferings even death so that he may always
remain true to the faith, and in this was his ultimate happiness. And even if
they condemned him to the worst punishments and cut his body with daggers he
will not betray his faith. Despite his broken body, Bishop Ignatios Maloyan gathered his strength and said with all his might :"He who hears me among priests, I ask him to give me the absolution." With that the soldiers went back hitting him, they extracted his nails and his blood spilled on the jail floor then they forced him to walk with his bleeding feet. Bishop Ignatios Maloyan remained in jail with his congregation till June, 9. On that day his mother visited him and cried for his state. But the bishop, her son, encouraged her by saying : "Don’t despair, oh mother, God has saved me for this glorious day. Don’t cry for me neither suffer, tomorrow, with my beloved imprisoned, I shall walk the road to Diyrbakir, what will happen to us, I don’t know, pray for us. Go back home and encourage my relatives to remain true to the faith. He also told her : “Send me a large pair of shoes so that I can go on with my painful and difficult course." On the next day, the soldiers gathered four hundred and forty people ; Armenians and from other sects. They chained each two or three together and pushed them outside the city, all were roped to each other. They seperated the group into three convoys Bishop Ignatios in the first, his hands and feet were chained. A priest was left with each convoy. The soldiers along with the convoys took the desert route : a short time later, they arrived at a deserted place, they seperated the elderlies and killed them. Six hours later, they arrived at a place called "Chikhan". Mamdouh Bek gave the order to stop, and took out an order and read it out to all present : “The government has granted you many blessings : Freedom, equality, brotherhood, high-ranking jobs ..., in return you betrayed the nation. Consequently you have been condemned to death, but he who wishes to convert to Islam will be released and will return safely to Mardin, if not, after one hour, death penalty will be executed. Get ready and say your last prayers." Bishop Maloyan answered on behalf of all the believers "Not for a day, did we betray the Turkish government, not in the past nor at the present. But if you want us to betray our loyalty to the Chistian faith, this will never be." And all cried :"Never, Never." Maloyan went on to say, "We will die, yes, we will all die for Christ." Out of Maloyan’s convoy one of the believers came forward, stood before the soldiers saying :"Kill me, see how a Christian dies for the sake of his faith." Bishop Ignatios Maloyan asked for a permission to say his last words to his believers. The permission was granted. The bishop stood before the believers, and encouraged them to remain true to their faith. Then all knelt with him. He prayed to God that they may deserve martyrdom with patience and courage. The priests then distributed themselves among the believers and granted them absolution and Bishop Maloyan took out a piece of bread from his pocket, blessed it, recited the words of the Eucharist and gave it to his priests to distribute among the people. One of the soldiers, an eye witness recounted this scene :"That hour, I saw a cloud covering the prisoners and from all emitted a perfumed scent. What caused a great surprise was the look of joy and serenity on the faces of the believers. As they were all going to die out of love for Jesus." The executioners chose one hundred prisoners and led them to Chikhan Grotto and there they slaughtered them. Then next came the turn for a convoy of another hundred who were taken to Zarzawan Grotto and slaughtered there. Then it was the hour for the party consisting of Bishop Ignatios Maloyan and two hundred and five people. After a two-hour walk, hungry, naked and chained, they arrived at the edge of an abyss, the soldiers attacked the prisoners and killed them. It was June 11, the day dedicated to the Heart of Jesus. The Kurds who witnessed and executed the killing order said :"We have never witnessed such strong faith." Before eliminating the last group, they parted Bishop Maloyan from his friends, set him on a horse and took him to Farkabro three hours away from Diyarbekir. On arriving there Maloyan asked the soldiers : "Where are my children?" They answered, "They were taken to be killed.: Mamdouh Bek advanced and repeated his suggestion to Bishop Maloyan :"Will you convert to Islam?" Maloyan answered, "I am surprised by your question. I’ve told you I shall live and die for the sake of my faith and religion. I take pride in the Cross of my God and Lord." Mamdouh
got very angry, he drew his pistol and shot Bishop Maloyan. The bullet hit
Maloyan in his throat and he fell to the ground. Before he released his last
breath he cried out loud: "My God, have mercy on me; Into your Hands I deliver
my last breath."
Source: Comunità Armena di Roma  |
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