Youssef Absi | |
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| Patriarch of Antioch and of All the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem | |
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| Native name | يوسف عبسي |
| Church | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Antioch |
| See | Antioch |
| Elected | 21 June 2017 |
| Predecessor | Gregory III Laham |
| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 6 May 1973 by Maximos V Hakim |
| Consecration | 2 September 2001 by Gregory III Laham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Absi (1946-06-20)20 June 1946 (age 79) |
| Denomination | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
| Alma mater | St. Paul Seminary, Harissa;Lebanese University;Holy Spirit University of Kaslik |
| Coat of arms |  |
Youssef AbsiSMSP[1] (Arabic:يوسف عبسي;Latin:Iosephus Absi; born 20 June 1946, inDamascus,Syria) is the currentpatriarch of theMelkite Greek Catholic Church, serving since 21 June 2017.[2][3]
On May 6, 1973, Youssef Absi was ordained a priest and became chaplain of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (Italian:Società dei Missionari di San Paolo; abbreviated as S.M.S.P.), a Melkite GreekSociety of Apostolic Life that is also known as thePères Paulistes.[1] After the conclusion of philosophical and theological studies at the Major Seminary of St. Paul inHarissa, Lebanon, he obtained a licentiate in philosophy at theLebanese University, a licentiate in theology at the Institute of St. Paul in Harissa, and a doctorate in musical science and hymnography at theHoly Spirit University of Kaslik.[4]
On June 22, 2001, he was appointedtitular archbishop of Tarsus dei Greco-Melkiti and curial bishop and auxiliary bishop in the Melkite Patriarchate. PatriarchGregory III Laham was his consecrator, and the co-consecrators were ArchbishopJean Mansour, titular archbishop of Apamea in Syria dei Greco-Melkiti, and ArchbishopJoseph Kallas, Archeparch of Beirut and Byblos, on September 2, 2001.[5]
From 1999 to 2006, he wasSuperior General of his religious community, the Missionary Society of St. Paul. He assisted as co-consecrator at the episcopal ordination ofYasser Ayyash, Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia in Jordan. In October 2007, he was appointed patriarchal vicar for the archdiocese of Damascus.
He was elected on June 21, 2017, as the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. His election came a month afterPope Francis accepted the resignation of Gregory III Laham.[2]
In 2001, he became president of theCaritas Syria (Commission Commune de Bienfaisance (CCB))[6] and forwards with three full-time members more than 40 projects in Damascus, Aleppo and Hassake. He composed for the singerMarie Keyrouz "L'Ensemble de la Paix", a hymn that was released on the albumCantiques de l'Orient.[7]
As a participant in the Special Assembly of theSynod of Bishops on the Middle East in October 2010, he gave an address in which he insisted that: "The Episcopal Conferences of each country should meet from time to time together. You should allow bi-ritualism, so that no parish remains without divine liturgy, no matter what church it belongs to."[8]
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| Preceded by | Titular Archbishop of Tarsus 2001–2017 | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Melkite Greek Patriarch of Antioch 2017–present | Incumbent |
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