Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas, also known as Cyril VI of Antioch (born in 1680,
Damascus – died on January 10, 1760), became the first
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church following the schism of the
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
Patriarchate of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
in 1724.
Cyril re-established
full communion with the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Life
Seraphim Tanas was born in
Damascus in 1680, and he was the nephew of
Euthymios Saifi
Euthymios Michael Saifi (or ''Aftimios Sayfi'', 1643–1723) was the Melkite Catholic bishop of Tyre and Sidon during the early 18th century. A leading proponent of re-establishing communion between the Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Ca ...
, bishop of
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
. On August 3, 1701, he arrived in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
, France, and from 1702 to 1710 he studied in the
College of the Propaganda in Rome. Returned in
Syria he was ordained
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
by his uncle, and he was distinguished for his sermons. He was appointed "Preacher of the Patriarchate of Antioch" by Patriarch
Cyril V Zaim.
Like many of his fellow clerics, Seraphim Tanas favored re-establishing full communion with the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He was elected on September 24, 1724, by the
Melkites of Damascus as the new
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
, and was consecrated as Cyril VI in the patriarchal cathedral of Damascus on October 1, 1724,
by
Neophytos Nasri
Neophytos Nasri (1670–1731) was bishop of Saidnaya of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and took a preeminent part in the 1724 split of the Melkite Church.
Life
Nasrallah Néophytos Nasri was born in Aleppo in 1670. He entered young a monk in ...
, eparch of
Saidnaya
Saidnaya (also transliterated Saydnaya, Seidnaya or Sednaya, from the syr, ܣܝܕܢܝܐ, ar, صيدنايا, Ṣaydnāyā) is a city located in the mountains, above sea level, north of the city of Damascus in Syria. It is the home of a Greek ...
, assisted by Basile Finas, eparch of Baniyas, and by
Euthymius Fadel
Euthymius Fadel of Ma’loula (died 1776) was bishop of Zahle and Forzol of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and took a preeminent part in the 1724 split of the Melkite Church.
Life
Euthymius Fadel was born in Ma'loula, Syria and he entered in ...
, eparch of
Zahle and Forzol
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol (in Latin: Mariamnensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
In 2012 there were 150,000 baptized. It is currently governed by Archeparch Ibrahim M. Ibra ...
.
As Cyril was a prominent pro-Westerner, the Orthodox
Patriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople
Jeremias III ( el, Ιερεμίας Γ΄, (c. 1650/1660 – 1735) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople two times, in 1716–1726 and 1732–1733.
Life
Jeremias was born between 1650 and 1660 in the island of Patmos, where he was ordained de ...
felt his authority was challenged. Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and appointed
Sylvester of Antioch (1696–1766), a young Greek
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, to the patriarchal See of Antioch. Jeremias consecrated bishop Sylvester in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
on October 8, 1724.
The
sultan Ahmed III withdrew the recognition initially conferred on Cyril, who was forced to flee as emissaries of Sylvester arrived from Constantiople with a mandate for his arrest. Cyril took refuge at the
Holy Savior Monastery near
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
, located in modern-day
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. Cyril's safety there was guaranteed by the
Shehab emirs. Sylvester unleashed a hard persecution against all who elected or supported Cyril: many people were exiled and all churches were taken by Sylvester's party. This persecution strengthened the faith of the Catholic Melkites who, even without a formal hierarchy, continued to increase in number meeting in secret places and celebrating the
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of ...
in homes at night.
Although the populace of Aleppo was mainly pro-Catholic in sentiment, the people initially supported Sylvester. However, Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church, and many Melkites chose to acknowledge Cyril VI as patriarch instead. The people united against Sylvester, forcing him to flee Aleppo.
The Greek domination over the Byzantine Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch lasted until 1899.
Notwithstanding the many requests by Cyril for recognition, the
Papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
moved with great caution and took six years to recognize Cyril as the legitimate Patriarch of Antioch. The decision was made by
Pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...
and communicated, almost unofficially, to the Melkites in the synod held on April 25, 1730. From this time onwards, the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church has existed separately from and in parallel to the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...
in the Middle East. The
pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...
, formal recognition of the patriarchal authority, was granted by Rome to Cyril only on February 3, 1744, about twenty years after the 1724 election.
The reasons for this caution and delay by Rome to recognize Cyril as patriarch can be summarized as follows:
* The election of Cyril had been not planned by Rome, and Rome already had Catholic professions of faith by the previous patriarchs
Athanasius III Dabbas
Patriarch Athanasius III Dabbas (1647–1724), sometimes known also as Athanasius IV, was the last Patriarch of Antioch before the final split of 1724 which divided the Melkite Church between the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Greek Ortho ...
(in 1687) and
Cyril V Zaim (in 1716). Rome didn't want to split the Melkite hierarchy, hoping for a complete union. Only the persecutions by Sylvester and the incoming Greek domination over the Byzantine Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch left no other choice.
* Cyril followed Euthymios Saifi in introducing many
liturgical Latinisation
Liturgical Latinisation is the process of adoption of Latin liturgical rites by non-Latin Christian denominations, particularly within Eastern Catholic liturgy. Throughout history, liturgical Latinisation was manifested in various forms. In Early ...
s, dividing thus the Catholic Melkites between those who kept the
Byzantine rite untouched and those who mixed the rites. For this reason, many Catholic Melkite monks were initially very suspicious of Cyril. As already happened for Euthymios Saifi, the Pope took a strong position against Cyril's latinisations, and his recognition in 1729 was subject to his renouncing any changes to the Byzantine rite and uses.
The latinisations, supported by many Latin missionaries (particularly by the
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
), continued to be a problem in the Melkite Church until the final position taken by the Pope on December 24, 1743, with the issue of the
encyclical ''
Demandatam'' that put an end to the mix of rites. This same document forbade Latin missionaries to accept the faithful of Byzantine Rites into the
Latin Rite
Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...
.
Cyril VI Tanas summoned synods in 1736, 1751 and 1756 in order to give a structure to the Melkite Church, but without a full success. Cyril had failed to unite two Melkite Basilian Orders, the
Basilian Salvatorian Order
, abbreviation = BS
, nickname = Salvatorian Fathers
, formation =
, founder = Archbishop Euthymios Michael Saifi
, founding_location = Saida, Lebanon
, type = Monastic order of pontifical rig ...
and
Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist. He renounced in 1759 and died on January 10, 1760,
[on December 30, 1759, according to the ]Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
leaving a complicated succession.
See also
*
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
*
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
*
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and JerusalemMelkite Catholic Web Ring
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanas, Cyril VI
1680 births
1760 deaths
Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy
Former Syrian Orthodox Christians
Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch
Syrian Melkite Greek Catholics
Eastern Catholic monks
18th-century Christian monks
18th-century Eastern Catholic bishops
People from Damascus