The Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch is the only actual residential Patriarchate of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

(

Eastern Catholic 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 ...

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 Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours ar ...

). It was formed in 1724 when a portion of the Orthodox Church of Antioch went into communion with Rome, becoming an Eastern Catholic Church, while the rest of the ancient Patriarchate continues in full communion with the rest of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

. The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch's present complete title is ''Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church'', incorporating both of the church's other titular patriarchates. Its archiepiscopal see is the Cathedral of the Dormition of Our Lady (Arabic: كاتدرائية سيدة النياح للروم الملكيين في دمشق ) in Damascus, Syria. It was visited by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 2001. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is one of five churches that are continuations of the original

See 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 ...

. Thus, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church traces its existence all the way back to

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupa ...

in a line of apostolic succession acknowledged by both Catholic and Orthodox canons. This claim is accepted by 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 R ...

and is not disputed by the other two

Eastern Catholic Churches 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 ...

that also claim descent from the ancient See of Antioch, namely 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 Mar ...

and the

Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in t ...

,The Syriac Catholic Church: History
which both also have Patriarchs of Antioch.

Proper province and archdiocese

The Patriarch also holds the office of

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

of an empty

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

without an actual

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

see, actually comprising only his proper Metropolitan Archeparchy of Damascus (of the Melkites)/ Damasco (Curiate Italian) / Dimašq / Aš-Šām / Damascen(us) Græcorum Melkitarum (Latin). Like the Patriarchate, in Rome it depends only upon the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicast ...

. During a vacancy in the Patriarchate (such as following the resignation of Gregory III Laham in 2017), the bishop of the permanent synod who is most senior by ordination serves as administrator in chief of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. As per 2014, it pastorally served 3,000 Catholics in 8 parishes and 1 mission with 9 priests (6 diocesan, 3 religious), 3 deacons, 33 lay religious (3 brothers, 30 sisters) and 10 seminarians.

Titular Patriarchates of Alexandria and of Jerusalem

In continuation of the earlier Melkite patriarchates of those ancient sees, two ''titular patriarchates'' exist, which are however simply titles, vested in the residential Patriarch of Antioch, which also have Catholic residential counterparts: * Melkite Catholic Titular

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epis ...

* Melkite Catholic Titular Patriarch of Jerusalem

List of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem

* Cyril VI Tanas (born Syria) (1724.10.01 – death 1759.07.08) * Athanasius IV Jawhar ( aouhar (born Syria) first term (1759.07.19 – 1760.08.01), next Eparch (Bishop) of Saida of the Greek-Melkites (Lebanon) (1761 – 1788.05.05 ''see below'') *

Maximos II Hakim Maximos II Hakim, was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1760 to 1761. Life Maximos Hakim was born in Aleppo circa 1689 and entered in the religious order of the Basilian Chouerites, of which he became general superior on 29 ...

(born Syria), Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist (B.C.) (1760.08.01 – death 1761.11.15); previously Archeparch (Archbishop) of Aleppo of the Greek-Melkites (Syria) (1732 – 1760.08.01) * Theodosius V Dahan (born Syria), B.C. (1761.12.24 – death 1788.04.10), previously Metropolitan Archeparch (Archbishop) of

Beirut of the Greek-Melkites The Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos (in Latin: Archieparchia Berytensis et Gibailensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a metropolitan eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church since 1881, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Roman Catholi ...

(Lebanon) (1736 – 1761.12.24) * Athanasius IV Jawhar second term (''see above'' 1788.05.05 – death 1794.12.02) *

Cyril VII Siaj Cyril VII Francis Siaj (or ''Siage'' or ''Siagi'') was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1794 to 1796. Life Francis Siaj was a monk of the Basilian Salvatorian Order. Between 1760 and 1768 he was an open partisan of Athanasi ...

(born Syria) (1794.12.11 – death 1796.08.06), previously Metropolitan Archbishop of

Bosra of the Greek-Melkites Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Bosra and Hauran (in Latin: Archeparchy Bostrena et Auranensis) is an archeparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church with its territory located in Syria. It is currently governed by Archeparch Nicolas Antiba, ...

(Syria) (1763 – 1794.12.11) * Agapius II Matar (born Syria), B.S. (1796.09.11 – 1812.02.02), previously

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized ...

of Basilian Order of the Most Holy Saviour (B.S., Salvatorian Fathers) (1789 – 1795), Eparch (Bishop) of Saïdā of the Greek-Melkites (Lebanon) (1795 – 1796.09.11) * Ignatius IV Sarrouf (born Syria) (1812) * Athanasius V Matar (born Syria) (1813) *

Macarius IV Tawil Macarius IV Tawil (or ''Taouil'') was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1813 to 1815. Life Macarius Tawil was born in Damascus. He entered in the religious order of the Basilian Salvatorians of which he was Superior from 18 ...

(born Syria) (1813–1815) *

Ignatius V Qattan Ignatius V Moussa Qattan, (or ''Cattan'', ''Kattan'', ''Quattan'', 1756–1833) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1816 until 1833. Life Moussa Qattan was born in 1756 (or 1752) in Zouk, Lebanon. He was the nephew of Solei ...

(born Syria) (1816–1833) *

Maximos III Mazloum Maximos III Michael Mazloum, (born in November 1779 in Aleppo, present Syria – died in August 1855) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1833 until 1855. As patriarch he reformed church administration and bolstered clerical e ...

(born Syria) (1833–1855) * Clement Bahouth (born Egypt) (1856–1864) * Gregory II Youssef-Sayur (born Egypt) (1864–1897) *

Peter IV Jaraijiry Peter IV Barakat Géraigiry (or ''Jaraijiry'', 1841–1902) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1898 until 1902. Life Born in Zahlé, Lebanon on August 6, 1841, Géraigiry was ordained priest on March 16, 1862, with a spe ...

(born Lebanon) (1898–1902) *

Cyril VIII Geha Cyril VIII Geha (or ''Jeha''), (November 26, 1840 – January 11, 1916) was patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1902 until 1916. He was the last Melkite Catholic patriarch of the Ottoman era. Life Geha was born in Aleppo, S ...

(born Syria) (1902–1916) **''vacant'' (1916–1919) * Demetrius I Qadi (born Syria) (March 29, 1919 – October 25, 1925) *

Cyril IX Moghabghab Cyril IX Moghabghab (October 29, 1855 in Ain Zhalta, Ottoman Syria – September 8, 1947 in Alexandria, Egypt) served as Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1925 to 1947. ...

(born Lebanon) (December 8, 1925 – September 8, 1947) *

Maximos IV Sayegh Maximos IV Sayegh (or ''Saïgh''; 10 April 1878, in Aleppo, Syria – 5 November 1967, in Beirut, Lebanon) was Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1947 until his death i ...

(born Syria) (October 30, 1947 – November 5, 1967) *

Maximos V Hakim Maximos V Hakim ( ar, ماكسيموس الخامس حكيم; May 18, 1908, in Tanta, Egypt – June 29, 2001, Beirut, Lebanon) was elected Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church i ...

(born Egypt) (November 22, 1967 – November 22, 2000) **

Jean Assaad Haddad Jean Assaad Haddad (17 December 1926 – 22 January 2021) was a Lebanese Melkite hierarch, who served as an Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre in Lebanon. Life Haddad was born in December 1926 in Beit Chabab, Lebanon. On ...

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 ...

(June 6, 2000 – November 29, 2000) * Gregory III Laham (born Syria) (November 29, 2000 – May 6, 2017) **

Jean-Clément Jeanbart Jean-Clément Jeanbart (born on 3 March 1943 in Aleppo, Syria) is a Melkite archbishop, who currently serves as the Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo and Apostolic Visitor in Western Europe of the Greek Melkites. Life ...

as Administrator (May 6, 2017 – June 21, 2017) * Youssef I Absi (born Syria) (June 21, 2017 – present)

Auxiliary Episcopate of the See of Antioch

* Auxiliary Bishop: François Abou Mokh, B.S. (1996 – 1998.07.27) * Auxiliary Bishop: Isidore Battikha, B.A. (66) (1992.08.25 – 2006.02.09) * Auxiliary Bishop: Jean Mansour, M.S.P. (1980.08.19 – 1997) * Auxiliary Bishop: François Abou Mokh, B.S. (1978.02.07 – 1992) * Auxiliary Bishop: Élias Nijmé, B.A. (1971.08.16 – 1978.02.07) * Auxiliary Bishop: Saba Youakim, B.S. (1968.09.09 – 1970.10.15) * Auxiliary Bishop: Nicolas Hajj (1965.07.30 – 1984.11.03) * Auxiliary Bishop: Néophytos Edelby,

Basilian Aleppian Order The Basilian Aleppian Order (Latin: ''Ordo Basilianus Aleppensis Melkitarum''; French: ''Ordre Basilien Alepin'') is a religious order of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The order was founded in 1697 in Dhour El Shuwayr by Aleppine monks who ...

(B.A.) (1961.12.24 – 1968.03.06) * Auxiliary Bishop: Pierre Kamel Medawar,

Society of Missionaries of Saint Paul A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

(M.S.P.) (1943.03.13 – 1969)

Gallery

File: Maksymos III Mazloum.jpg , Maximos III Mazloum File:Gregory II Youssef.jpg, Gregory II Youssef File:Peter IV Geraigiry.jpg, Peter IV Jeraigiry File:Cyril VIII Geha.jpg, Cyril VIII Geha File: Demetrius I Quadi.jpg , Demetrius I Qadi File: George Hakim 1960 (cropped).jpg, Maximos V Hakim File:Gregorio.III.laham.JPG, Gregory III Laham File:BISHOP patriarc youssef absi june 7th 2018.JPG, Youssef Absi

References

Sources and external links

List of the Melkite Patriarchs of Antioch from Melkite Church official website

* ttp://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/dama0.htm GCatholic - Patriarchal proper Metropolitan Archeparchy of Damascus
History of Melkite Church including Cannons regarding Reunion with Rome and the legal continuation of the See of Antioch.

Legal circumstances of union with Rome.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antioch, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate Eastern Catholic dioceses Eastern Catholic patriarchates Eastern Catholic bishops by diocese Lists of patriarchs * Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs Catholic Church in Jerusalem