The Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul (or of Constantinople) (''Exarchatus Apostolicus Constantinopolitanus'') is the senior of two missionary pre-diocesan Eastern Catholic jurisdictions that constitute the

Greek Byzantine Catholic Church The Greek Byzantine Catholic Church ( el, Ελληνική Βυζαντινή Καθολική Εκκλησία, ''Ellinikí Vizantiní Katholikí Ekklisía;'') or the Greek Catholic Church is a ''sui iuris'' Eastern Catholic particular church of ...

, an

Eastern Catholic Church The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...

of the

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. Th ...

in the

Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...

. It is directly subject to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

, as the Greek Catholic Church, does not have a metropolitan. The

Apostolic Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

covers all territory of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Its cathedral episcopal see is the ''Ayatriada Rum Katoliki Kilise'' ( Holy Trinity Rum Catholic Church) in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. As of 2017, it was the sole

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the exarchate and has 16 parishioners.

History

The first steps toward creating a particular jurisdiction for Greek Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in the European part of the Ottoman Empire were made in 1907, when Greek Catholic priest

Isaias Papadopoulos Bishop Isaias Papadopoulos (24 February 1855, Pyrgos, Elis, Pyrgos, Greece – 19 January 1932) was the first Exarch of the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church. Biography Born 24 February 1855 in Pyrgos, Papadopoulos was ordained an Orthodox priest ...

was made

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

for the Greek Catholics within the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Delegation of Constantinople. The Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(

) was founded on June 11, 1911, as the ''Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of European Turkey''. At the same time, on June 28 (1911), Isaias Papadopoulos was appointed titular bishop of Gratianopolis, and he was also entrusted with the initial organization of the newly formed Exarchate, but he was not appointed apostolic exarch. That question had to be postponed because of the breakout of

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

(1912-1913) when the Ottoman Empire lost most of its European territory, and the consequent breakout of

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914-1918). The first apostolic exarch,

George Calavassy George Calavassy (February 2, 1881 in Greece – November 7, 1957 in Greece) was a Catholic prelate belonging to Apostolic Exarchate of Constantinople from 13 July 1920 to 11 June 1932, and Exarch of the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church from 11 ...

, was appointed only after the war, in 1920. On June 11, 1932, it lost territory to establish the

Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Greece The Apostolic Exarchate of Greece is a Greek Byzantine Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or apostolic exarchate of the Catholic Church in Greece. As there are no metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan sees in the Greek Byzanti ...

. In 1936, it was renamed as Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul or of Constantinople. On November 25, 1999, Bishop Louis Pelâtre, A.A., Apostolic Vicar of the Roman Catholic

Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul The Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Istanbulensis) is a Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate based in the city of Istanbul in Turkey.Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

of Istanbul.

Ordinaries

, Apostolic Exarch of Constantinople (July 13, 1920 – June 11, 1932),

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Theodoropolis of the Greeks :''See Theodoropolis for namesakes'' Theodoropolis (in Europa) was an Ancient city and former bishopric, remaining a Latin Catholic titular see, also succeeded by a Greek Catholic titular bishopric under the name Theodorium. Its presumed location ...

; later Apostolic Exarch of

(Greece) (June 11, 1932 – November 7, 1957) * Dionisio Leonida Varouhas, Apostolic Exarch of Constantinople (June 11, 1932 – death January 28, 1957),

of Gratianopolis; *

Domenico Caloyera Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to: People * Domenico Alfani, Italian painter * Domenico Allegri, Italian composer * Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster * Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter * Domenico Auria, Italian archi ...

, O.P., as

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

'sede plena' (May 27, 1955 – January 28, 1957), next Apostolic Administrator 'sede vacante' (1957.01.28 – 1976); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Izmir (Turkey) (1978.12.07 – 1983.01.22) *

Louis Pelâtre Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

, A.A., Apostolic Administrator (November 25, 1999 – 2016), Titular Bishop of

Sasima Sasima ( grc, Σάσιμα) was a town of ancient Cappadocia and in the late Roman province of Cappadocia Secunda, located 24 Roman miles to the south of Nazianzus. Its site is located near Hasanköy, Asiatic Turkey. History Sasima is mention ...

(since July 9, 1992),

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

(Turkey) (July 9, 1992 – 2016), President of Episcopal Conference of Turkey (1995–2001),

(November 25, 1996 – 2016) * Rubén Tierrablanca Gonzalez, O.F.M., Apostolic Administrator (April 16, 2016 – December 22, 2020), titular Bishop of TubernucaCatholic Hierarchy: Rubén Tierrablanca Gonzalez
/ref> *

Lorenzo Piretto Lorenzo Piretto, O.P. (born 15 December 1942) is the emeritus Archbishop of Izmir and a Dominican friar. He was ordained to the episcopate and installed as Archbishop of Izmir on 20 December 2015, five days after his 73rd birthday. Biography ...

, O.P., Apostolic Administrator (December 24, 2020-13 Sep 2021) *

Massimiliano Palinuro Massimiliano is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Massimiliano Alajmo (born 1974), Italian chef *Massimiliano Allegri (born 1967), Italian footballer and manager *Massimiliano Ammendola (born 1990), Italian fo ...

, Apostolic Administrator (14 Sep 2021 – present)

References

Sources

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul (Constantinople)

Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Exarchate of Greece (Greek)

Catholic Hierarchy: Georges Calavassy

Catholic Hierarchy: Denis Leonid Varouhas

Catholic Hierarchy: Domenico Caloyera

Catholic Hierarchy: Louis Pelâtre

Catholic Hierarchy: Rubén Tierrablanca Gonzalez

Unofficial Home Page of the Society of St. John Chrysostom of Ayatriada Rum Katoliki Kilise, Istanbul
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istanbul, Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate Greek Byzantine Catholic Church Apostolic exarchates Eastern Catholic dioceses in Turkey Catholic Church in Turkey Christianity in Istanbul