The Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos (in Latin: Archieparchia Berytensis et Gibailensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a metropolitan

eparchy Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...

of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church since 1881, an Eastern Catholic church in 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 ...

. Located in

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 ...

, it includes the cities of

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and

Byblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 8 ...

, and in terms of population, it is the largest Melkite eparchy in the Middle East. Its current Eparch, Georges Wadih Bacouni, S.M.S.P., was elected in November 2018.

Territory and statistics

The territory of the archeparchy includes

, the capital of Lebanon, and its environs; much of Mount Lebanon governorate (to the north Antelias, Jounieh, and

; to the east

Baabda Baabda ( ar, بعبدا) is the capital city of Baabda District as well as the capital of Mount Lebanon Governorate, western Lebanon. Baabda was the capital city of the autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon. Baabda is known for the Ottoman Castle (t ...

Broumana Brummana ( ar, برمانا) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Brummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and loca ...

, and

Bikfaya Bikfaya ( ar, بكفيا, also spelled Bickfaya, Beckfayya, or Bekfaya) is a town in the Matn District region of Mount Lebanon. Its stone houses with red-tiled roofs resting amidst pine and oak forests make Bikfaya one of the most sought-after su ...

) and south to part of Chouf District. The archeparchy has an estimated population of 200,000 Melkite faithful in 2015. Its cathedral is dedicated to Saint Elias and its see is located in Beirut. It includes 114 priests, 83 men religious, 179 women religious, and 83 parishes.catholic-hierarchy.org
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History

The Eparchy of Beirut is an ancient Byzantine one, elevated to the rank of archeparchy with the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...

in the fifth century. The Greek Catholic Eparchy of Beirut was officially founded in 1724, after the

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 ...

was divided into two branches, the Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic (or Melkite). Statistical data from the ''Annuario Pontificio 2010''. In 1701, the Greek bishop of Beirut, Sylvester Dahan, had sent to Rome a profession of the Catholic faith, renewed in the following year. Those were the years when Catholicism obtained great progress in the ranks of the Greeks in the cities of the Lebanese coast, where more entrenched was the presence of Christians of the Byzantine Rite, and this mainly thanks to the missionary work of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

and the

Capuchins Capuchin can refer to: *Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from t ...

. Great impetus to the spread of Catholicism in Beirut and in the surrounding areas was the founding of the Chouerites, that at the beginning of their history had most of the monasteries in Beirutian territory. Belonged to this Order was Athanasios Dahan, Catholic Bishop of Beirut and the future patriarch, who first organized the new Catholic diocese. With his successor Basilios Jelghaf the cathedral was built on land owned by the Chouerites. A dispute between the Order and the Bishop Youssef Sarrouf about the real estate of the cathedral forced 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 ...

to intervene to give reason to the Bishop (1784). The bishop Agapios Riashi was one of the most vocal opponents of the introduction of the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

desired by Patriarch Maximos III Mazloum. Riashi was responsible for the reconstruction of the cathedral in a more impressive and rich decorations including an iconostasis in marble. This church was demolished in the twentieth century for urban needs. On the death of Agapios Riashi in 1878 the Melkite community is divided on the choice of his successor. The Chouerites, which so far had given all the bishops of Beirut, and they considered the seat as their fiefdom, lived a difficult time and had no monks prepared for the episcopate. Patriarch

Gregory II Youssef Patriarch Gregory II Youssef, also known as Gregory II Hanna Youssef-Sayour (October 17, 1823 – July 13, 1897), was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1864 to 1897. Gregory expanded and modernized the church and its institu ...

was Damascene and Melkite Beirut feared that ended up imposing a native bishop of Damascus. Eventually prevailed to the Holy See, when

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

with his

Papal brief A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...

Occasione electionis on August 16, 1881, chose Meletios Fakak transferring him from his see in Zahleh and appointing to new Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos. The former Eparchy of Beirut was elevated to the rank of the Archeparchy, uniting it to the seat of Byblos, formerly administered by the bishops of Beirut since 1802. Byblos corresponds to the ancient Byzantine Diocese of Byblos, mentioned in the fourth century. Fakak made his solemn entry only September 30, 1882.

Church of the Archdiocese Melkite Greek Catholic of Beirut and Jbeil

Archdiocese Melkite Greek Catholic of Beirut and Jbeil at Beirut, 655 rue de Damas.

Outside

File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 01.jpg File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 02.jpg

Inside

Frescoes, Byzantine and Orthodox icons inside the church. File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 03.jpg File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 08.jpg, The main scenes from Marie's life. Reading from right to left : the

Nativity of mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bi ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

's parents ( Joachim and

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

), the

Presentation of Mary The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21 by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholic Churches. The feas ...

(with the annunciation in the background) File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 09.jpg, Reading from right to left : the

(with the annunciation in the background), the annunciation, the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...

File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 10.jpg, Reading from right to left : the

, The

Dormition of the Mother of God The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 12.jpg, The Annunciation File:Archeveche Grec-Melkite Catholique de Beyrouth et jbeil 13.jpg, The

baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bet ...

List of bishops

* Athanasius Dahan, (1736 appointed - 24 December 1761 confirmed Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia) * Basil Jelghaf (1763 appointed - 1778 died) * Ignatius Sarrouf (1778 appointed - 21 February 1812 appointed Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia) * Theodosius Badra, B.C., (1814 appointed - 2 November 1822 died) * Ignatius Dahan, (1822 appointed - 1828 died) * Agapios Riashi, (20 April 1828 confirmed - 1878 died) * Meletios Fakkak, (9 August 1881 appointed - 14 July 1904 died) * Athanasius Sawoya, B.S., (December 1904 appointed - 6 April 1919 died) * Basil Cattan, (11 February 1921 appointed - 5 August 1933 resigned) * Maximos Sayegh, S.M.S.P., (30 August 1933 appointed - 21 June 1948 confirmed Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia) * Philippe Nabaa, (17 September 1948 appointed - 11 September 1967 died) * Grégoire Haddad, (9 September 1968 appointed - 19 August 1975 resigned) * Habib Bacha, S.M.S.P, (23 August 1975 appointed - 23 November 1999 died) *

Joseph Kallas Joseph Kallas, SMSP (born on September 24, 1931 in Fakiha, Lebanon) is Emeritus Melkite Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos. Biography Joseph Kallas was ordained a priest on 13 August 1958 by the White Fathe ...

, S.M.S.P, (15 January 2000 appointed - 25 May 2010 retired) * Cyril Salim Bustros, S.M.S.P, (15 June 2011 confirmed - 9 November 2018 retired) * Georges Wadih Bacouni, S.M.S.P, (24 November 2018 confirmed - )

Notes

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy entry on the Archeparchy of Beirutbooksnow2.scholarsportal.infobooks.google.it
{{coord, 33.8833, N, 35.5000, E, source:wikidata, display=title Catholicism in Beirut Melkite Greek Catholic eparchies Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Lebanon Organisations based in Beirut Year of establishment missing