 Melkite Greek Catholic Church | |
|---|---|
| كنيسة الروم الملكيين الكاثوليك | |
 | |
| Type | Particular church (sui luris) |
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal polity |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Youssef Absi |
| First Patriarch | Cyril VI Tanas |
| Region | Egypt,Palestine,Israel,Jordan,Lebanon,Sudan,Syria,Turkey,Iraq,Argentina,Australia,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,France,Mexico,New Zealand,United States,United Kingdom,Venezuela,Sweden |
| Language | Arabic (diaspora: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish; liturgical: Greek) |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition,Damascus,Syria |
| Founder | Saint Peter andSaint Paul (according to tradition) |
| Origin | 1st century AD (traditionally) |
| Branched from | Church of Antioch[1] |
| Separations | |
| Members | 1,568,239[3] |
| Other names |
|
| Official website | Official website |
TheMelkite Greek Catholic Church (كنيسة الروم الملكيين الكاثوليك,Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk;Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία;Ecclesia Graeca Melchitarum Catholica), also known as theMelkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is anEastern Catholic church in full communion with theHoly See as part of the worldwideCatholic Church. Its chief hierarch is PatriarchYoussef Absi, who resides at theCathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition inDamascus,Syria.
The Melkite Church follows theByzantine Rite and traces its origins to the early Christian community of thePatriarchate of Antioch in the 1st century AD, whereSaint Peter is traditionally held to have established a Christian community.[4]
The Melkite Church shares its Byzantine liturgical, theological, and spiritual heritage with theGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch and otherEastern Orthodox churches. It is primarily centered in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine,[5] though significant diaspora communities exist worldwide due to historical migration, persecution, and intermarriage.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church formally entered communion with the Roman pontiff under PatriarchCyril VI Tanas in 1724, a move opposed by some members of the Church of Antioch, leading to the establishment of the separateGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.[6] Today, the Church numbers approximately 1.6 million members worldwide.[3]
The termMelkite – from theSyriac wordmalkā for 'king' and theArabic wordmalakī (Arabic:ملكي, meaning 'royal', and by extension, 'imperial') – was originally apejorative term for Middle Eastern Christians who accepted the authority of theCouncil of Chalcedon (451 AD) and theByzantine Emperor, a term applied to them by non-Chalcedonians.[7][8][9] Of the Chalcedonian churches, Greek Catholics continue to use the term, while Eastern Orthodox do not.[10]
TheGreek element signifies theByzantine Rite heritage of the church, the liturgy used by all theEastern Orthodox churches.[11]
The termCatholic acknowledges communion with the Church of Rome and implies participation in the universal Christian church. According to Church tradition, the Melkite Church of Antioch is the "oldest continuous Christian community in the world".[12]
InArabic, the official language of the church,[5] it is calledar-Rūm al-Kāṯūlīk (Arabic:الروم الكاثوليك,lit. '[Eastern] RomanCatholic'). The Arabic wordRūm means 'Romans', from the Greek wordRomaioi by which the Greek-speaking Eastern Romans (called "Byzantines" in modern parlance) had continued to identify themselves even when the Western Roman empire had ceased to exist. The name literally means 'Roman Catholic', confusingly for the modern English-speaker, but that refers not to theLatin Church but to the Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox "Byzantine" Roman heritage, the centre of gravity of which was the city of "New Rome" (Latin:Nova Roma,Greek:Νέα Ρώμη),Constantinople.[citation needed]
According to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, its origins go back to the establishment of Christianity in the Near East.[13] As Christianity began to spread, the disciples preached the Gospel throughout the region and were for the first time recorded to be called "Christians" in the city ofAntioch (Acts 11:26), the historicalSee of theMelkite Catholic Patriarchate.[14] Scholars attribute the actual writing of the gospels inKoine Greek to the Hellenized Christian population of Antioch, with authors such asSt. Luke, the author of theGospel of Luke andThe Acts of the Apostles.[15][16] By the 2nd century, Christianity was widespread in Antioch and throughout Syria. Growth of the church did not stop during periods of persecution, and by the end of the 4th century Christianity became the official state religion.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church traces its origins to the Christian communities of theLevant andEgypt. The termMelkites was originally referred to those Christian in Egypt who were loyal to theCouncil of Chalcedon and was later referred to those in the Levant region as well.[17] The church's leadership was vested in the three apostolic patriarchates of theancient patriarchates:Alexandria,Antioch andJerusalem.[18]
After the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, fifth-century Middle-Eastern Christian society became sharply divided between those who did and those who did not accept the outcome of the council. Those who accepted the decrees of the council, theChalcedonians, were mainlyGreek-speaking city-dwellers, and were calledMelkites ('imperials') by the anti-Chalcedonians—who were predominantlyArmenian orCoptic-speaking provincials.[19]
TheBattle of Yarmuk (636) took the Melkite homeland out of Byzantine control and placed it under the occupation of the Arab invaders.[20] Whereas the Greek language and culture remained important, especially for the Melkites of Jerusalem, Antiochene Melkite tradition merged with the Arabic language and culture. Indeed, there wasArabic Christian poetry before the arrival ofIslam, but the Antiochene blending with Arabic culture led to a degree of distancing from thePatriarch of Constantinople.
Despite the Arab invasion, the Melkites continued to exercise an important role in the Universal Church. The Melkites played a leading role in condemning theiconoclast controversy when it re-appeared in the early 9th century, and were among the first of the Eastern churches to respond to the introduction of thefilioque clause in the West.[20]
In 1724,Cyril VI Tanas was elected the newpatriarch of Antioch. As Cyril was considered to be pro-Western, thePatriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople feared that his authority would be compromised. Therefore, Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and ordained the GreekhierodeaconSylvester of Antioch as a priest and bishop so as to take Jeremias' place.[6]
Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church – considered both "unyielding and uncompromising" by both supporters and opponents – as many Melkites acknowledged Cyril's claim to the patriarchal throne.[6] Sylvester began a five-year campaign of persecution against Cyril and the Melkite faithful who supported him, enforced by Ottoman Turkish troops, forcing Cyril to find refuge in Lebanon.[8][21]
Five years after the election of Cyril VI, in 1729,Pope Benedict XIII recognized him as patriarch of Antioch and recognized his followers as being infull communion with theCatholic Church and thepope ofRome.[10] From this time onward, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has existed separately from and in parallel to theGreek Orthodox Church of Antioch inWestern Asia; the latter is no longer referred to asMelkite.[10][8]
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has played an important role in the leadership ofArab Christianity.[citation needed] It has always been led by Arabic-speaking Christians, whereas its Orthodox counterpart had Greek patriarchs until 1899. Indeed, at the very beginning of her separate existence, around 1725, one lay leader and theologianAbdallah Zakher ofAleppo (1684–1748) set up the firstprinting press in theArab world.[22] In 1835,Maximos III Mazloum, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, was recognized by theOttoman Empire as the leader of amillet, a distinctive religious community within the Empire.Pope Gregory XVI gave Maximos III Mazloum the triple-patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, a title that is still held by the leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
In 1806,Germanos Adam, the Archbishop of Aleppo, convened theSynod of Qarqafe which adapted and ratified propositions of the 1786Synod of Pistoia. It was formally accepted by the Melkite church, but was formally condemned in 1835 byPope Gregory XVI in the bullMelchitarum Catholicorum Synodus.[23]
In 1847,Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) reinstituted the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the person of the 34-year-oldGiuseppe Valerga (1813–1872), whom the indigenous hierarchy nicknamed "The Butcher" because of his fierce opposition to theEastern Orthodox churches of the Holy Land.[24] When he arrived in Jerusalem in 1847, there were 4,200 Latin Catholics and when he died in 1872, the number had doubled.
In 1856,Clement Bahouth became Patriarch.[25] Under pressure from theRoman Curia to adoptLatin Church practices, he introduced the Gregorian calendar used by the Latin and Maronite Churches in 1857. The act caused serious problems within the Melkite community, resulting in a short-lived schism.[26] At one point, theMetropolitan of Beirut, Agapios Riashi, refused to comply and supported two priests, Gabriel Gibara and John Massamiri, who openly revolted and formed dissident groups in Damascus and Egypt. Three bishops – Theodosius Qayoumgi, Basil Chahiat, and Meletius Findi – representing the archeparchies ofSidon,Zahlé, andBaalbek, respectively, sided with the dissidents. In the face of the growing conflict, Clement attempted to abdicate his position as patriarch, but the pope,Pius IX, rejected his resignation. Pius IX summoned Riashi, but was rebuffed, instead sending a letter with the other three bishops. The Vatican condemned the letter and called on Bahouth to claim the support of theSublime Porte. Riashi continued to resist and was, as a result, excluded from theFirst Vatican Council. The other three bishops eventually resubmitted to the patriarch. Although Massamiri – who had been consecrated as the Orthodox Bishop of Palmyra – was brought back by the next patriarch,Gregory II Youssef, Gibara died in dissidence.[27] In 1864, Bahouth again requested to be allowed to resign, hoping to retire to monastic life. This time, the pope assented and his resignation was officially accepted on 24 September 1864. On 29 September, theBishop of Acre,Gregory II Youssef, was chosen as Patriarch.[28]
Officially confirmed in 1865,[29] Gregory initially focused on improving church institutions. During his time as patriarch, Gregory founded both the Patriarchal College in Beirut in 1865 and the Patriarchal College in Damascus in 1875 and he re-opened the Melkite seminary ofAin Traz in 1866.[30][31] He also promoted the establishment of Saint Ann's Seminary, Jerusalem, in 1882 by theWhite Fathers for the training of the Melkite clergy.[32][33]
Following theOttoman Reform Edict of 1856, decreed by SultanAbdülmecid I, the situation of Christians in the Near East improved. This allowed Gregory to successfully encourage greater participation by the Melkite laity in both church administration as well as public affairs.[30] Gregory also took an interest in ministering to the growing number of Melkites who had emigrated to the Americas. In 1889 he dispatched Father Ibrahim Beshawate of the Basilian Salvatorian Order in Saida, Lebanon, to New York in order to minister to the growing Syrian community there. According to historian Philip Hitte, Beshawate was the first permanent priest in the United States from the Near East from among the Melkite,Maronite, and Antiochian Orthodox churches.[34]
Gregory was also a prominent proponent of Eastern ecclesiology at the First Vatican Council, giving a now oft-lauded speech during its fifty-fourth session regarding the third chapter ofPastor aeternus.[35] In the two discourses he gave at the Council on 19 May and 14 June 1870, he insisted on the importance of conforming to the decisions of theCouncil of Florence, of not creating innovations such aspapal infallibility, but accepting what had been decided by common agreement between the Greeks and the Latins at the Council of Florence, especially with regard to the issue of papal primacy.[36] He was keenly aware of the disastrous impact that the dogmatic definition of papal infallibility would have on relations with theEastern Orthodox Church and emerged as a prominent opponent of the dogma at the Council.[37] He also defended the rights and privileges of the patriarchs according to the canons promulgated by earlier ecumenical councils. Speaking at the Council on 19 May 1870, Patriarch Gregory asserted:
The Eastern Church attributes to the pope the most complete and highest power, however in a manner where the fullness and primacy are in harmony with the rights of the patriarchal sees. This is why, in virtue of an ancient right founded on customs, the Roman Pontiffs did not, except in very significant cases, exercise over these sees the ordinary and immediate jurisdiction that we are asked now to define without any exception. This definition would completely destroy the constitution of the entire Greek church. That is why my conscience as a pastor refuses to accept this constitution.[38]
Patriarch Gregory refused to sign the Council's dogmatic declaration on papal infallibility. He and the seven other Melkite bishops present votednon placet at the general congregation and left Rome prior to the adoption of the dogmatic constitutionPastor aeternus on papal infallibility.[39] Other members of the anti-infallibilist minority, both from the Latin church and from other Eastern Catholic churches, also left the city.[39]
After the First Vatican Council concluded, an emissary of the Roman Curia was dispatched to secure the signatures of the patriarch and the Melkite delegation. Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite bishops subscribed to it, but with the qualifying clause as used at the Council of Florence attached: "except the rights and privileges of Eastern patriarchs".[37][40] He earned the enmity of Pius IX for this. According to one account, during his next visit to thepontiff, Gregory was cast to the floor at Pius' feet by the papal guard while the pope placed his foot on the patriarch's head.[37][40] This story, however, has been cast into doubt by more recent studies of the First Vatican Council.John R. Quinn citesJoseph Hajjar in his bookRevered and Reviled: A Re-Examination of Vatican Council 1,: "We have been unable to find any document to provide historical verification for such treatment by the Pope."[41] Orthodox historian A. Edward Siecienski reports that the historicity of this story "is now deeply suspect."[42] Despite this, Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite Church remained committed to their union with the Church of Rome. Relationships with the Vatican improved following the death of Pius IX and the subsequent election ofLeo XIII as pontiff. Leo'sencyclicalOrientalium dignitas addressed some of the Eastern Catholic Churches' concerns onlatinization and the centralizing tendencies of Rome.[43] Leo also confirmed that the limitations placed on the Armenian Catholic patriarch by Pius IX's 1867 letterReversurus would not apply to the Melkite Church; further, Leo formally recognized an expansion of Patriarch Gregory's jurisdiction to include all Melkites throughout theOttoman Empire.[43]
PatriarchMaximos IV Sayegh took part in theSecond Vatican Council where he argued against Latinization and championed the Eastern tradition of Christianity, arguing that Latin Church Catholics should be more receptive to the authentic traditions of Eastern Christianity.[44] He won a great deal of respect from Orthodox observers at the council as well as the approbation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,Athenagoras I, who noted: "You have represented the East at the Council and there you have caused our voice to be heard."[45]Following the Second Vatican Council the Melkites moved to restoring traditional worship. This involved both the restoration of Melkite practices such as administering theEucharist to infants following post-baptismalchrismation as well as removal ofLatinized elements such as communion rails and confessionals. In the pre-conciliar days, the leaders of this trend were members of "The Cairo School", a group of young priests centered on the Patriarchal College in Cairo. This group included FathersGeorge Selim Hakim,Joseph Tawil,Elias Zoghby, and former JesuitOreste Kerame; they later became bishops and participated in the Second Vatican Council, and saw their efforts vindicated; the work done by the School laid the foundation for Maximos' work at the Second Vatican Council.[46]
These reforms led to protests by some Melkite churches that the de-latinisation had gone too far. During the Patriarchate ofMaximos IV Sayegh, some Melkites in the United States objected to the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a movement that was spearheaded by the future archbishop of Nazareth, FatherJoseph Raya of Birmingham, Alabama. The issue garnered national news coverage after BishopFulton Sheen celebrated a Pontifical Divine Liturgy in English at the Melkite National convention in Birmingham in 1960, parts of which were televised on the national news.[47]
In 1960, the issue was resolved by Pope John XXIII at the request of Patriarch Maximos IV in favour of the use of vernacular languages in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Pope John also consecrated a Melkite priest, FatherGabriel Acacius Coussa, as a bishop, using the Byzantine Rite and thepapal tiara as a crown. Bishop Coussa was almost immediately elevated to the cardinalate, but died two years later. His cause for canonization was introduced by his religious order, theBasilian Alepian Order.
Further protests against the de-latinisation of the church occurred during the patriarchate ofMaximos V Hakim (1967–2000) when some church officials who supported Latin traditions protested against allowing the ordination of married men as priests. Today the church sees itself as an authentic Orthodox church in communion with the Catholic Church. As such it has a role as a voice of the East within the western church, a bridge between faiths and peoples.[48]
Due to heavy emigration from the Eastern Mediterranean, which began with theDamascus massacres of 1860 in which most of the Christian communities were attacked, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church today is found throughout the world and no longer made up exclusively of faithful of Eastern Mediterranean origin. The Patriarchate of Maximos V saw many advances in the worldwide presence of the Melkite Church, called "the Diaspora":Eparchies (the Eastern equivalent of a diocese) were established in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia,Argentina, and Mexico in response to the continued emptying of the Eastern Mediterranean of her native Christian peoples. In 1950, the richest Melkite community in the world was in Egypt.[49] After the establishment of theUnited Arab Republic byGamal Abdul Nasser in 1958, a combination of factors led several thousand Melkites from Syria – particularlyAleppo andDamascus – and Egypt to emigrate to Lebanon.[50]
In 1967, a native Egyptian of Syrian-Aleppin descent, George Selim Hakim, was elected the successor of Maximos IV, and took the nameMaximos V. He was to reign until he retired at the age of 92 in the Jubilee Year of 2000. He died on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2001. He was succeeded by Archbishop Lutfi Laham, who took the name Gregory III.
Today, the Melkite Church has around 1.6 million members worldwide.[3] Most Melkite Catholics are ofLevantine descent, with the majority identifying asArab.[51][52] Over the first millennium, Arabic gradually replacedSyriac and Greek, whileArab culture andidentity have increasingly shaped the church’s life and traditions. Today,Arabic has become the primary language of the Melkite Church, gradually replacingByzantine Greek as the dominant liturgical language.[53] The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Israel, and the second largest in Lebanon. As of 2014, it was also the largest Christian denomination in Israel, with approximately 60% ofIsraeli Christians belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.[54]
According to 2008 figures from the Holy See, Lebanon now hosts the largest Melkite community in the Middle East, numbering approximately 425,000, followed by Syria with about 234,000.[55] In addition, there are over 80,000 Melkite Greek Catholics in Israel and Palestine, and approximately 27,600 in Jordan.[56]
Before1948, a significant number of Melkites resided in Israel and the Palestinian territories. However, various waves of conflict in the region prompted many to relocate to other parts of the Middle East or emigrate abroad. TheLebanese civil war also dealt a severe blow to Melkite communities, resulting in the loss of villages and institutions, and theSyrian Civil War further displaced Melkite communities, forcing many to leave their ancestral homes. Today, the global Melkite population living outside the Middle East surpasses that within the region.[56] Historically,Egypt, Damascus, andAleppo were home to vibrant, affluent, and highly educated Melkite communities.[57][58]
As of 2017, due toChristian emigration from the Middle East,São Paulo has become home to the largest Melkite community in the diaspora, estimated at around 433,000 members,[59] followed byArgentina, with approximately 302,800. Significant Melkite populations are also found inAustralia (52,000),Canada (35,000),Venezuela (25,400), theUnited States (24,000),Mexico (4,700), and other countries.[56]
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is in full communion with theHoly See (the Latin Catholic Pope of Rome and hisRoman Congregation for the Eastern Churches), where the Patriarch is represented by hisProcurator at Rome, but fully follows the traditions and customs ofByzantine Christianity.[60] The traditional languages of worship areArabic andGreek, but today, services are held in a variety of languages, depending on the country where the church is located.
The MelkiteSynod of Bishops, composed of all of the church's bishops, meets each year to consider administrative, theological and church-wide issues.[61] The vast majority of the Melkitediocesan priests in the Middle East aremarried.[62]
The current Patriarch isYoussef Absi who was elected on 21 June 2017.[63] The patriarchate is based in theSyrian capitalDamascus, but it formally remains one of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs claiming theapostolic succession to the Ancient see of Antioch, and has been permanently granted the styles ofTitular Patriarch of Alexandria and Jerusalem, two other patriarchates with multiple Catholic succession.
The patriarchate is administered by a permanentsynod, which includes the Patriarch and four bishops, the ordinary tribunal of the patriarch for legal affairs, the patriarchaleconomos who serves as financial administrator, and achancery.[61]
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In theArab World andAfrica, the church hasdioceses in:
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Throughout the rest of the world, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has dioceses and exarchates for itsdiaspora in:
InWestern Europe, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has the following parishes and communities for its diaspora:
Masculine
Feminine
Masculine
Feminine
There are also several patriarchal organizations with offices and chapters throughout the world, including:
In recent years, the Melkites, like the Maronites, have denied affiliation with Arab ethnicity, race and culture.
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