The Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land (in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Archieparchia Ptolemaidensis Maronitarum in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

) is a branch of the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maro ...

immediately subject to the Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites. Since 2012, it has been governed by Archbishop

Moussa El-Hage Moussa El-Hage ( ar, موسى الحاج, born on 19 February 1954, in Aintoura, Lebanon), is a Maronite Catholic eparch, now Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land The Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land (in Latin: Archiepa ...

, OAM.

Territory and statistics

The archeparchy includes all the faithful of the

who live in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The archeparchial seat is the city of

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, where the Saint Louis the King Cathedral is located. In the archeparchy in 2019, there were approximately 10,000 members, 14 priests, 8 parishes and 3 missions.

History

There was an ancient

Catholic 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 ...

diocese in Akka in the third century. The

Maronite Archeparchy The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Mar ...

was erected on 8 June 1996, with territory taken from

Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre (in Latin: Archeparchia Tyrensis Maronitarum) is an Archeparchy of the Maronite Church immediately subject to the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. In 2014 there were 42,500 baptized. It is currently ruled by Arch ...

. On 5 October of the same year, the archeparchy has ceded part of its territory for the benefit of the erection of the patriarchal exarchates of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, which have since joined

in persona episcopi ''In persona episcopi'' ( en, In the person of the bishop) is a Latin language, Latin expression used by the Roman Catholic Church to indicate a union of two or more dioceses in which the dioceses are administered by a single bishop but undergo no ...

to all archeparchy.

Affiliated bishops

Paul Nabil El-Sayah Paul Nabil El-Sayah (in Arabic: بولس نبيل الصياح, born on 26 December 1939 in Aïn el Kharroubé, Lebanon) is an Archeparch of the Maronite Church and Curial Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch. Life Paul Nabil E ...

(8 June 1996 – 6 June 2011, appointed Archbishop of the Patriarchal Curia of Antioch) *

, OAM, (since 16 June 2012)

Notes

References

External links