Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon (in Latin: Archeparchia Sidoniensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the

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

suffragan of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre (Latin: Archeparchy Tyrensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a metropolitan see of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. In 2009 there were 3,100 baptized. It is currently governed by an Apostolic Administrator, Ar ...

. In 2010 there were 32,000 baptized. It is currently governed by Archeparch

Elie Bechara Haddad Elie Bechara Haddad, BS (born 28 January 1960) is a Lebanese prelate of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church who has been the Archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon since 2007. Biography Elie Bechara Haddad was born on 28 Janu ...

, BS.

Territory and statistics

The archeparchy extends its jurisdiction over the Melkite Greek faithful of

Sidon District The Sidon District ( ar, قضاء صيدا) is a district within the South Governorate of Lebanon. Cities and towns *Aadloun * Ansariye *Ghaziyeh *Maghdouché * Majdelyoun *Miye ou Miye * Qinarit * Salhieh *Sarepta *Sidon - capital * Tabbaya *Zr ...

and

Chouf District Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf, in ''Jabal ash-Shouf''; french: La Montagne du Chouf) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate (muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east o ...

in Lebanon. Its archeparchial seat is the city of Sidon, where is located the cathedral of Saint Nicholas. The territory is divided into 53 parishes and had 32,000 Melkite Catholics in 2010.

History

Sidon was the site of an ancient Christian community, dating back to the dawn of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The historical and Christian origins of Sidon dates back to the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...

(Mt 15: 21–28) reports: "From there, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon" and in the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark), or simply Mark (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). is the second of the four canonical gospels and of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to h ...

(Mk 7, 31) states: "Jesus left the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee midst of the coasts of Decapolis". On the arrest and imprisonment of Paul, in the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...

(Acts 27.3): "The next day we touched at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul the benevolent, allowed him to go to his friends and to seek care." However, the presence of a bishop is historically attested for the first time at the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort ...

of 325. In Roman crusade was the seat of a diocese of the Latin Rite. Only from 770 was recovered the life of the Sidon Christian community. With the conquest of the last Crusader bastion in Acre by the

Mamelukes Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...

in 1291, the Christian community in Sidon largely was vanished from there. The reconstruction of the Christian communities in and around Sidon began again until 1604 with the election of Ignatius Houtiyeh as bishop of Tyre and Sidon. During the Catholic missionary work since the end of the 16th century some individual Melkite Orthodox priests were converted to the Latin rite. They converted to the Catholic faith

Euthymius II Karmah Patriarch Abdel-Karim Meletios Euthymius II Karmah (1572–1635) was Melkite Patriarch of Antioch from 1634 to 1635. He had been a leading figure in the Melkite Church and metropolitan bishop of Aleppo. He died a few months after his election a ...

(died in 1635) whom was ordained in 1634 Melkite Patriarch of Antioch united with

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 ...

. The Eparchy of Sidon started in 1683 with its Melkite bishops in communion with Rome. First Catholic eparch was Efthymios Saïfi, founder of Basilian Salvatorian Order. Initially it was united with the archeparchy of Tyre; the two locations were separated in the mid-eighteenth century (in 1752 approximately). Tyre became an archeparchy and Sidon an eparchy. On 18 November 1964 the eparchy was elevated to the rank of archeparchy by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

. On 27 January 2007, the pope gave his assent to the Elie Haddad's election, canonically made by the Synod of the

on 11 October 2006, to Archbishop of Sidon to the Melkites.

Bishops

* Euthymios Michael Saifi (1683 - October 8, 1723 deceased) * Ignatius El Beyrouthy (1724 - 1752 resigned) * Basilios Jelghaf (1755 - July 23, 1764 appointed prefect of Beirut) * Michel Jawhar, BS (1764 - March 30, 1789 confirmed Melkite Patriarch of Antioch) * Vacant (1789-1795) *

Agapius II Matar Agapius II Matar, (sometime also known as ''Agapios III'', 1736–1812) was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1796 to 1812. Life Agapius Matar was born in 1736 in Damascus. He entered young in the Basilian Salvatorian Order. ...

, BS (1795 - July 24, 1797 confirmed Melkite Patriarch of Antioch) * Gabriel Matar, BS (1800 - August 14, 1813 elected Melkite Patriarch of Antioch) * Vacant (1813-1822) * Helias (Basilios) Khalil (2 February 1822 consecrated - 1836 deceased) * Theodosius Kuyumji (20 December 1836 consecrated - 1886 deceased) *

Basil Haggiar Basilio Haggiar, BS (born on 6 January 1839 in Gezzin, Syria - died in 1919) was an archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Bosra and Hauran in Syria and Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon in Lebanon. Life Basil Haggiar w ...

, BS (June 16, 1887 - February 16, 1916 deceased) * Athanasius Khoriaty, BS (March 14, 1920 - January 24, 1931 deceased) * Gabriel (Nicholas) Nabaa, BS (November 22, 1931 - December 15, 1946 deceased)

Archbishops

Basile Khoury Basile Khoury, BS (15 August 1900, Borj-Safita, today Syria – 22 April 1985) was the first Archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon in Lebanon. Life Basile Khoury was ordained priest on May 2, 1928 and became Chaplain of the ...

(March 15, 1947 - August 25, 1977 withdrawn) *

Michel Hakim Michel Hakim, BS (21 April 1921, Maghdouché, Lebanon – 22 November 2006, Montreal, Canada) was Vicar Apostolic of Canada and first bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur in Montréal in Canada. Life Michel Hakim was born ...

, BS (August 25, 1977 - October 13, 1980 appointed Apostolic Exarch of Canada) *

Ignace Raad Ignace Raad, BS (20 December 1923 in Kafar-Nabrakh, Lebanon – 19 July 1999, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon in Lebanon and judge at the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. Life At the age of ...

(September 9, 1981 - September 18, 1985 resigned) *

Georges Kwaïter Georges Kwaïter (born on April 28. 1928 in Damascus, Syria - died on July 26, 2011) was an Archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon. Life On 15 July 1951 Georges Kwaïter made his perpetual vows in his Congregation of the Mos ...

, BS (23 July 1987 - 2006 withdrawn) *

, BS (from 11 October 2006)

References

External links

* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dsdme.html * http://www.notredamedemantara.org/french/index.htm * http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13776a.htm * http://www.pgc-lb.org/fre/melkite_greek_catholic_church/Archieparchie-de-Saida-et-Deir-el-Kamar-Liban {{coord, 33.5667, N, 35.3667, E, source:wikidata, display=title Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Lebanon Melkite Greek Catholic eparchies Sidon District