 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Patriarchatus Latinus Hierosolymitanus הפטריארכיה הלטינית של ירושלים بطريركية القدس للاتين Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
| Archbishopric | |
| catholic | |
 Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Incumbent: Pierbattista Pizzaballa | |
| Location | |
| Country | Cyprus Israel Jordan Palestine |
| Ecclesiastical province | immediately subject to theHoly See |
| Statistics | |
| Population |
|
| Parishes | 66 |
| Information | |
| First holder |
|
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established |
|
| Cathedral | Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
| Co-cathedral | Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus |
| Secular priests | 66 |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Pierbattista Pizzaballa |
| Auxiliary Bishops | |
| Vicar General |
|
| Bishops emeritus | |
| Website | |
| lpj.org | |
TheLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (Latin:Patriarchatus Latinus Hierosolymitanus) is theLatinCatholic ecclesiasticalpatriarchate inJerusalem, officiallyseated in theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre. The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem is thearchbishop ofLatin Church Catholics of the Archdiocese of Jerusalem with jurisdiction for allLatin Catholics inIsrael,Palestine,Jordan andCyprus; he also holds the office ofgrand prior of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre. It isexempt, being directly subject to theHoly See (and exceptionally itsDicastery for the Eastern Churches, which normally handlesEastern Catholics). It is not within anecclesiastical province, and has nometropolitan functions.
The Patriarchate was originally established in 1099, with theKingdom of Jerusalem encompassing the territories in theHoly Land newly conquered by theFirst Crusade. From 1374 to 1847 it was atitular see, with the patriarchs of Jerusalem being based at theBasilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura inRome.Pope Pius IX re-established a resident Latin patriarch in 1847.
The title ofpatriarch in the Latin Church is retained by only five archbishops: thepatriarchs of Jerusalem, ofthe West (being the pope himself), ofVenice, ofLisbon and ofthe East Indies. Until 1964, there had also been the honorary patriarchal titles ofConstantinople,Alexandria andAntioch; still others were abolished earlier. Outside the Catholic Church, the title of "Patriarch of Jerusalem" is also used by theGreek Orthodox patriarch, theArmenian patriarch, and within the Catholic Church it is also used titularly by theMelkite patriarch.
Jerusalem (in Latin also Hierosolyma) was one of the Apostles' original bishoprics. It was renamed Aelia Capitolina in 135 AD, again Jerusalem in 325. In 451 it was promoted as patriarchal see. After 649,Pope Martin I appointed John of Philadelphia (Amman) as patriarchal vicar of Jerusalem to replace Sergius of Jaffa.
In 1054, theGreat Schism split Christianity into theCatholic Church, which consisted of thepope of Rome and virtually all of Western Christianity; and theEastern Orthodox Church—which consisted of the four Orthodox Christian patriarchs ofAntioch,Jerusalem,Constantinople andAlexandria—under the stewardship ofConstantinople.[1] Apart from theMaronites, most Christians in the Holy Land came under the jurisdiction of theEastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
In 1099, the WesterncrusaderscapturedJerusalem, set up theKingdom of Jerusalem and established a Latin hierarchy under a Latin patriarch (in communion with Rome),[2][3] while expelling the Orthodox patriarch. The Latin Patriarchate was divided into fourarchdioceses—their heads bearing the titles ofarchbishop of Tyre,archbishop of Caesarea,archbishop of Nazareth andarchbishop of Petra—and a number ofsuffragan dioceses. The Latin patriarch took over control of the Latin quarter of the city of Jerusalem (theHoly Sepulchre and the immediate surroundings) as his metropolitan see, and had as his direct suffragans thebishops of Lydda-Ramla,Bethlehem,Hebron andGaza, and the abbots of theTemple,Mount Sion and theMount of Olives.
The Latin patriarch resided in Jerusalem from 1099 to 1187, while Orthodox patriarchs continued to be appointed, but resided inConstantinople. In 1187, the crusaders were forced to flee Jerusalem, and the Latin Patriarchate moved toAcre (Akka),[4] while the Orthodox patriarch returned to Jerusalem. TheCatholic Church continued to appoint residential Latin patriarchs. The crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem endured almost 200 years until the last vestiges of the kingdom were conquered by the MuslimMamluks in 1291, and the Latin hierarchy was effectively eliminated in the Levant.
With thefall of Acre, the Latin patriarch moved to theKingdom of Cyprus in 1291.
In 1374, the Kingdom of Cyprus underwent a severe upheaval when it was invaded by theGenoese, who conqueredFamagusta and held KingPeter II captive.
From that time on, the Latin patriarchs of Jerusalem ceased to reside in Cyprus. The Catholic Church continued to appointtitular patriarchs of Jerusalem, but from then on they were based at theBasilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura inRome.[5]
In 1342,Pope Clement VI officially committed the care of the Holy Land to the Franciscans[6] and theFranciscanCustos of the Holy Lands (the grand masters of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre) held the titleex officio under thepapal bullGratiam agimus byClement VI, unless someone was specifically appointed to the honorary office.
In 1570, it gained territories from the suppressed Archdiocese of Nicosia and Diocese of Paphos, and in 1571 it gained more territories from the suppressed Diocese of Limassol and Diocese of Famagosta, all in former crusader Kingdom of Cyprus, which had fallen to the Ottoman Turks.
A resident Latin patriarch was re-established in 1847 byPius IX,[4] with BishopJoseph Valerga being appointed to the office. Though officially superseding the Franciscans, Valerga was also the grand master of the Order. On Valerga's death in 1872, Vincent Braco was appointed, and following his death in 1889, theOttoman sultan authorised the re-establishment of a Latin hierarchy. The grand masters of the Order continued to be named as Latin patriarchs until 1905.
TheCo-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is the principal, or "mother" church of the Latin Patriarchate, the church in which the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem has his official chair (cathedra).[7] However, theBasilica of the Holy Sepulchre has the title ofcathedral of the patriarchate. The residence of the patriarch is in theOld City, near the Co-Cathedral, while theseminary, which is responsible for theliturgical education, is inBeit Jala, a town 10 km south of Jerusalem, where it has been since 1936.
In 1987,Michel Sabbah became the first nativePalestinian to be appointed Latin patriarch.[8] The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is now thediocesan archbishop of Latin Catholics of theCatholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem and has jurisdiction for allLatin Church Catholics inIsrael,Palestine,Jordan andCyprus.
The prerogatives of the patriarch in his relation with government authorities overlap with the prerogatives of theapostolic nuncio to Israel and theapostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.
In 2008, ArchbishopFouad Twal was appointed patriarch to succeed Michel Sabbah.[9] He exercised his mandate from June 21, 2008, until June 24, 2016, when he reached the canonical age of retirement and Pope Francis accepted his resignation. On 24 June 2016,Pope Francis nominated FatherPierbattista Pizzaballa asApostolic Administratorsede vacante of the patriarchate and appointed himtitular archbishop of Verbe.[10] On 24 October 2020, Archbishop Pizzaballa was elevated to the position of patriarch.[11] He took possession of the see on 6 November 2020.
Pope Paul VI visited in January 1964,Pope John Paul II in March 2000,Pope Benedict XVI in May 2009 andPope Francis in May 2014.
The Patriarch is supported by bishops and non-bishop patriarchal vicars:[12]
As per 2015, it pastorally served 293,053 Catholics in 66 parishes with 464 priests (81 diocesan, 383 religious), 9 deacons, 1,652 lay religious (590 brothers, 1,062 sisters) and 55 seminarians.[citation needed] Since then, several parishes have been added and there are now over 70 across four areas in 2023.[17]
The proper archdiocese of the patriarchal see of Jerusalem has jurisdiction over all Latin Catholics (not Eastern Catholics) in theHoly Land (Israel,Palestine andJordan) as well asCyprus. InJerusalem, the Latin Catholic community is the largest Christian community, with some 4,500 people out of an estimated Christian population of about 11,000.[18]
InJerusalem, the patriarch has hiscathedral archiepiscopal see, aminor basilica andWorld Heritage Site: theBasilica of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as theCo-Cathedral, also a World Heritage Site:Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and four otherMinor Basilicas and World Heritage Sites:Basilica of the Agony,Basilica of St. Stephen,Dormition Abbey of the Virgin Mary andSt. Anne’s Church.[citation needed]
Other cities in the archdiocese have more minor basilicas:Basilica of the Annunciation inNazareth,Basilica of the Transfiguration inMount Tabor, Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris inHaifa andSt. Cleophas Church in El Qubeibeh, and two other World Heritage Sites, both inBethlehem:Church of St. Catherine andChurch of the Nativity.[citation needed]
Prior to theGreat Schism, there were no separate Latin and Greek Orthodox Churches, and thus no separate patriarchs. For patriarchs of Jerusalem of the unified Church prior to the Schism, seeGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem itself was lost in 1187; seat of the patriarch moved (with the kingdom in retreat) toAcre
Acre lost in 1291; see in exile moved to Cyprus and became titular
TheFranciscanCustodian of the Holy Land held the title from 1342 to 1830 under thePapal bullGratiam agimus byPope Clement VI. The bull declared the Franciscans as the official custodians of the Holy Places in the name of the Catholic Church, "unless someone was specifically appointed in the honorary office".
Moved to Rome after 1374
During theWestern Schism, the patriarch was appointed by both popes resulting in overlapping appointments.
Restoration of resident Latin patriarchs of Jerusalem in 1847
Latin patriarchate hierarchy re-established in 1889
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Patriarchates (byorder of precedence) |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History |
| ||||||
| Language | |||||||
| Liturgical rites Liturgical days |
| ||||||
| See also | |||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christianity |
| Areas, quarters Gates
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Islam (Sunni Islamic Grand Mufti) |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judaism (Sephardic/Ashkenazi Chief Rabbis) |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
