CHALDOASSYRIAN WATCH: Two notes in the news:

Turkey Allows a First New Year for a Tiny Minority
By KATHERINE ZOEPF (New York Times)

Published: April 4, 2005

MIDYAT, Turkey, April 1 - A windswept hilltop here in southeastern Anatolia has become the site for a reunion that once would have been unthinkable, as thousands of Assyrians from across the region have converged to openly celebrate their New Year in Turkey for the first time.

Like many other expressions of minority ethnic identity, the Assyrian New Year, or Akito, had been seen by Turkey as a threat. But this year, the government, with an eye toward helping its bid to join the European Union, has officially allowed the celebration by the Assyrians, members of a Christian ethnic group that traces its roots back to ancient Mesopotamia.

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The festivities here on Friday were the culmination of a celebration that started on March 21, the first day of the Assyrian New Year. Behind Mr. Begtas, on a raised stage near the wall of the Mar Aphrem monastery, a balding baritone sang in Syriac, the Assyrians' language, a Semitic tongue similar to Aramaic.

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Actually, Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic.

Ancient sect mourns Pope in Iraq
Sun Apr 3, 2005 8:35 AM BST

ANKAWA, Iraq (Reuters) - Followers of the ancient Chaldean Christian sect have gathered for mass among the mountains of northern Iraq to mourn the death of Pope John Paul, watched over by guards armed with AK-47 assault rifles.

"All Christians, even the Muslims, will hope for another pope to re-establish peace in this world," said Rabban al-Qas, a Kurd who is the Chaldean bishop of Amadiya.

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Chaldeans, who use the ancient Aramaic language to conduct mass, make up the largest of Iraq's Christian sects, and say they have around 400,000 followers in Iraq. The total Christian community in Iraq is estimated at around 750,000.

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