Archeparchy of Akka (Melkite Greek) Archieparchia Ptolemaidensis Melchitarum أبرشية عكا وحيفا والناصرة وسائر الجليل للروم الملكيين الكاثوليك | |
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| Location | |
| Country | Israel |
| Headquarters | Syria |
| Statistics | |
| Population |
|
| Parishes | 37 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Rite | Byzantine Rite |
| Established | 1753 |
| Cathedral | Saint Elias Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Youssef Absi |
| Archeparch | Youssef Matta |
| Bishops emeritus | |
| Website | |
| https://logosofgalilee.com/ | |
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka (Arabic:أبرشية عكا وحيفا والناصرة وسائر الجليل للروم الملكيين الكاثوليك) is a diocese of theMelkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite,Arabic), directly subject to theMelkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch. Itscathedral episcopal see isSt. Elijah Greek-Melkite Cathedral, inHaifa.
The archeparchy extends its jurisdiction to Melkites ofIsrael, especially ofGalilee. The headquarters of the archeparchy (archdiocese) isHaifa, where the Saint Elias Cathedral is located. The Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka counted 73,921 baptised members,[1] and had a territory subdivided into thirty-seven parishes in 2022.[1]
As of 2014 theMelkite Greek Catholic Church was the largest Christian community in Israel, with roughly 60 per cent ofIsraeli Christians belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.[2]
The city ofHaifa has the largest Melkite Greek Catholic community in Israel, followed by the cities ofNazareth andShefa-Amr. Melkite Greek Catholic communities exist in a number of other towns inGalilee, either as the sole religious community or amongst other communities ofMuslims,Druze and other Christians, including in:[3]
They also have a presence in other mixed cities, especiallyJerusalem andTel Aviv-Jaffa,Ramleh,Lod,Acre,Nof HaGalil, andMa'alot Tarshiha.[3] It is reported that all the inhabitants ofFassuta andMi'ilya areMelkiteChristians.[4]
Ancient Ptolemais-Acre was visited byPaul of Tarsus during his trip described in chapter 21 of theActs of Apostles. Soon, the city was a strong Christian community. In the third century was established headquarters of an ancient episcopal see here and the capital of the bishop of the diocese, which is suffragan of theMelkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre, referring to the ancient period in Ptolemais in Phoenicia, called Acre in the Crusader period.
In 1753, the see was restored as a Melkite diocese by PatriarchCyril VI Tanas and attached once again to Tyre, which had become independent from Jerusalem. However, the Melkite bishops of Acre began to reside there only in 1804.[5]
Before 1932, the jurisdiction of Acre includedTransjordan. The see became an Archeparchy on 18 November 1964 with the Papal BullApostolic constitution ofPope Paul VI[6] and includes all Galilee.
The following were Melkite Greek Catholic eparchs (bishops) of Akka:
A list of Melkite Greek Catholic archeparchs (archbishops) of Akka is shown below:
32°49′09″N34°59′41″E / 32.8192°N 34.9946°E /32.8192; 34.9946
