Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Sidon (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 ...

: Eparchia Sidoniensis Maronitarum) is an

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

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, 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. Th ...

immediately subject to the

Maronite Patriarch of Antioch This is a list of the Maronite patriarchs of Antioch and all the East, the Primate (bishop), primate of the Maronite Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Starting with Paul Peter Massad in 1854, after becoming patriarch of the Maronite Ca ...

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 ...

. In 2014 there were 156,000 baptized. It is currently headed by bishop Maroun Ammar.

Territory and statistics

The eparchy extends its jurisdiction over the Maronite faithful in the region around the city of

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...

(Saida in Arabic). Its eparchial seat is the city of Sidon, where is located the Saint Elias Cathedral. The territory is divided into 104 parishes and in 2014 there were 156,000 Maronite Catholics.

History

The eparchy dates from the beginning of the

, united to the

See of Tyre The see of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there already in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre, which was the capital of the Roman provi ...

. The first information about the Eparchy of Sidon is related to 1626, when the bishop of Sidon Youssef Khalib el-Akouri is mentioned. In 1646 he was elected Patriarch of Antioch. The name of the bishop of Sidon Gabriel is also mentioned in 1736, when the Synod of Mount Lebanon canonically established the Eparchy of Tyre-Sidon and he participated. The two cities of the former eparchy were separated and the Eparchy of Tyre was created on February 18, 1900 (or according to other sources 26 January 1906). ictionnaire de Theologie Catholique, Tome Dixième, première partie, Paris 1928, col. 111./ref>

Eparchs

* Youssef Halib el-Akouri (1626 consecrated - 29 November 1646 appointed

) * John (mentioned on 12 June 1673) * Gabriel (mentioned in 1733)

Eparchy of Tyre-Sidon

* United from 1736 to 1900

Eparchs of Sidon

* Paul Basbous, (February 18, 1900 ordered - September 7, 1918 deceased) * Augustin Bostani, (February 23, 1919 - October 30, 1957 deceased) *

Anthony Peter Khoraish Patriarch Moran Mor Anthony III Peter Khoraish (September 20, 1907 – August 19, 1994), (or ''Antonios Boutros Khoraish'', ''Antoine Pierre Khreich'', ''Khraish'', ''Khoraiche'', ar, أنطونيوس الثالث بطرس خريش), was the 75t ...

, (November 25, 1957 - February 15, 1975 appointed

) * Ibrahim Hélou, (July 12, 1975 - February 3, 1996 deceased) * Tanios El Khoury, (June 8, 1996 - 2005 retired) * Elias Nassar, (September 24, 2005 - June 17, 2017 retired) * Maroun Ammar, (since June 17, 2017)

References

External links

* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dsadm.html * http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/said1.htm {{Maronite Church Maronite Church in Lebanon Maronite Catholic eparchies 1900 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Sidon District