Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs (in Latin: Archeparchy Hemesena Graecorum Melkitarum-Epiphaniensis-Iabrudensis) is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy (Eastern Catholic archdiocese) of the

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

(

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 ...

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

) in central

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. It was established on March 4, 1849 and has no

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 jurisdictiona ...

, but two merged-in eparchial titles.

Territory and statistics

The archeparchy extends in the central part of Syria, corresponding roughly to the

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حماة / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates ...

and

Homs Governorate Homs Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة حمص / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥimṣ'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in central Syria. Its area differs in various sources, from to . It is thus geographical ...

. Its archeparchial see is the city of

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

, where is located the Cathedral of

Our Lady of Peace Our Lady of Peace, Mother of Peace, Queen of Peace or Our Lady Queen of Peace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. She is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch, symbols of peace. Her official memoria ...

. In Yabrud is located the co-cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen. It is currently governed by Archeparch Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C. The territory is divided into 21 parishes and there were 30,000 Melkite Catholics in 2010.

History

The archeparchy consists of territories that were once three separate ecclesiastical entities: Homs, Hama and Yabrud. When in 1724 the

was established, the three eparchies started gradually merged. The union ultimately came during the patriarchate of

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 ...

and was contextually erected from eparchy of Homs to Metropolitan Archeparchy on March 4, 1849, as the titles of the

Melkite Catholic Archeparchy of Hama Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs (in Latin: Archeparchy Hemesena Graecorum Melkitarum-Epiphaniensis-Iabrudensis) is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy (Eastern Catholic archdiocese) of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite, ...

and Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Jabrud were formally united with the new Metropolitanate.

Episcopal ordinaries

;''Metropolitan Archeparchs of Homs'' * Ignace (mentioned in 1759) * Jéremie (mentioned in 1790) *

Gregory Atta Gregory Atta born Michael Atta (born 14 April 1815 in Zahle, Lebanon - died on 3 December 1899 in Damascus, Syria) was a bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs, church historian and collector of antique manuscripts. He visited E ...

(February 20, 1849 - December 3, 1899 deceased) *

Flavien Khoury Flavien Khoury also Flavien Kfoury (1859 in Khounshara, Lebanon – 1920) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs in Syria. Life On November 21, 1901, Khoury became the successor of Gregory Ata and was appointed Archb ...

(November 21, 1901 - 1920 resigned),

Titular Archbishop 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 ...

of Palmyra of the Greek-Melkites (1920 – ?) * Basil Khoury (November 20, 1920 - October 25, 1938 deceased), Titular Archbishop of

Sergiopolis Resafa ( ar, الرصافة Reṣafa), also sometimes spelled Rusafa, and known in the Byzantine era as Sergiopolis (in greek Σεργιούπολις, Σεργιόπολις, "city of Saint Sergius") and briefly as Anastasiopolis (Αναστασ� ...

(1938.10.15 – death 1941.11.21) *

Athanasios Toutoungi Athanasios Toutoungi (6 September 1899 in Alexandretta, now İskenderun, Turkey – 20 February 1981) was an archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo in Syria. Life Athanasios Toutoungi was on July 20, 1927 ordained to the pr ...

(October 1, 1938 - December 5, 1961), previously

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

Basilian Alepian 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 w ...

(B.A.) (1934 – 1940); later Metropolitan Archeparch of

Aleppo of the Greek-Melkites Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo (Latin: Archidioecesis Aleppensis o Beroeensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is an archeparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church located in Syria, based in Aleppo. Its current archeparch is Jean-Clément J ...

(Syria) (1961.12.05 – 1968.03.06),

Tarsus of the Greek-Melkites Tarsus may refer to: Biology *Tarsus (skeleton), a cluster of articulating bones in each foot *Tarsus (eyelids), elongated plate of dense connective tissue in each eyelid *The distal segment of an arthropod leg see Arthropod tarsus *The lower le ...

(1968.03.06 – death 1981.02.20) *

Jean Bassoul Jean Bassoul, BS, also John Bassoul, (7 May 1920 in Maghdouché, Lebanon – 9 August 1977) was an archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol. Ordination On 11 July 1943 Bassoul was ordained priest and was appoin ...

, Basilian

Salvatorian fathers The Basilian Order of the Most Holy Saviour () abbreviated BS,also known as the Basilian Salvatorian Order, is an Eastern Catholic monastic order of Pontifical Right for men of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church. The name derives from its motherho ...

(B.S.) (December 5, 1961 - August 21, 1971), later Archeparch of Zahle and Forzol of the Greek-Melkites (Lebanon) (1971.08.21 – 1977.08.09) *

Denys Gaith Denys Gaith, BC (19 March 1910 in Yabroud, Syria – 22 March 1986) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs in Syria. Life Denys Gaith was ordained on 8 September 1937 and became the Chaplain of the Saint John the Baptist ...

Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist The Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist ( la, Ordo Basilianus Sancti Iohannis Baptistæ) is a Melkite Greek Catholic monastic order of Pontifical Right for Men. The members of the Order add the nominal B.C after their names to ind ...

(B.C.) (August 21, 1971 - March 22, 1986 deceased) *

Abraham Nehmé Abraham Nehmé, BC or Ibrahim Naameh (8 October 1927 – 9 December 2022) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs in Syria. Life Nehmé was born in Kaïtouly, Lebanon on 8 October 1927. Nehmé was ordained to the priest ...

, B.C. (August 20, 1986 - June 20, 2005 withdrawn) *

Isidore Battikha Isidore Battikha (born July 28, 1950 in Aleppo, Syria) is a Syrian archbishop emeritus of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs in Syria. He was also Grand Prior of the Patriarchal Order of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. Life Isidore ...

, B.A. (February 9, 2006 - September 6, 2010 resigned), previously Archbishop of Pelusium of the Greek-Melkites (1992.08.25 – 2006.02.09), Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites (Syria) (1992.08.25 – 2006.02.09) * Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C., (June 23, 2012 - ), previously Titular Bishop of Hilta (2006.10.17 – 2006.11.11),

Apostolic Exarch 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 ...

of Argentina of the Greek-Melkites (2006.10.17 – 2012.06.23), Titular Bishop of Palmyra of the Greek-Melkites (2006.11.11 – 2012.06.23)

References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic with incumbent biography links
* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dhomm.html * http://www.pgc-lb.org/fre/melkite_greek_catholic_church/Metropole-of-Homs-Hama-and-Yabroud * https://web.archive.org/web/20120419194326/http://www.pgc-lb.org/english/Church3.shtml#Homs {{coord, 34.7333, N, 36.7167, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1849 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Homs Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Syria Melkite Greek Catholic eparchies