Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Paul, by Melkite tradition | |
---|---|
Origin | 1724, with tradition tracing its origin to the 1st-century Church of Antioch[1] |
Branched from | Church of Antioch[1] |
Members | 1,568,239[2] |
Other name(s) |
|
Official website | melkitepat.org |
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church,
The Melkite Church, like many other Eastern Catholic particular churches, shares the Byzantine Rite with the
While the Melkite Catholic Church's Byzantine liturgical traditions are shared with those of Eastern Orthodoxy, the church has officially been part of the Catholic Church since re-entering communion with the Holy See under Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas in 1724. Those who rejected this move formed the extant Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.[6]
Name
Part of a series on |
Particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church |
---|
Particular churches are grouped by liturgical rite |
Alexandrian Rite |
Armenian Rite |
Byzantine Rite |
East Syriac Rite |
Latin liturgical rites |
West Syriac Rite |
Melkite, from the
The Greek element signifies the Byzantine Rite heritage of the church, the liturgy used by all the Eastern Orthodox churches.[8]
The term Catholic 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".[9]
In
History
According to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, its origins go back to the establishment of Christianity in the Near East. 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 the Levant and Egypt. The term Melkites was originally referred to those Christian in Egypt who were loyal to the Council of Chalcedon and was later referred to those in the Levant region as well.[14] The church's leadership was vested in the three apostolic patriarchates of the ancient patriarchates: Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.[15]
Fallout of the Fourth Ecumenical Council
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, the
Fusion with Arabic language and culture
The
Despite the Arab invasion, the Melkites continued to exercise an important role in the Universal Church. The Melkites played a leading role in condemning the iconoclast 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 the filioque clause in the West.[17]
Communion with the Catholic Church
In 1724,
Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church as many Melkites acknowledged Cyril's claim to the patriarchal throne.[citation needed] Jeremias and Sylvester began a five-year campaign of persecution against Cyril and the Melkite faithful who supported him, enforced by Ottoman Turkish troops.[citation needed]
Five years after the election of
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has played an important role in the leadership of Arabic 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, theologian Abdallah Zakher of Aleppo (1684–1748) set up the first printing press in the Arab world.[19] In 1835, Maximos III Mazloum, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, was recognized by the Ottoman Empire as the leader of a millet, 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.
Expansion and participation at the First Vatican Council
In 1806, Germanos Adam, the Archbishop of Aleppo, convened the Synod of Qarqafe which adapted and ratified propositions of the 1786 Synod of Pistoia. It was formally accepted by the Melkite church, but was formally condemned in 1835 by Pope Gregory XVI in the bull Melchitarum Catholicorum Synodus.[20]
In 1847, Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) reinstituted the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the person of the 34-year-old Giuseppe Valerga (1813–1872), whom the indigenous hierarchy nicknamed "The Butcher" because of his fierce opposition to the Eastern Orthodox churches of the Holy Land.[citation needed] When he arrived in Jerusalem in 1847, there were 4,200 Latin Catholics and when he died in 1872, the number had doubled.
Under pressure from the Roman curia to adopt Latin Church practices, Patriarch Clement Bahouth introduced the Gregorian calendar used by the Latin and Maronite Churches in 1857; that act caused serious problems within the Melkite church, resulting in a short-lived schism.[21] Conflicts in the Melkite church escalated to the point where Clement abdicated his position as patriarch.
Clement's successor, Patriarch Gregory II Youssef (1864–1897), worked to restore peace within the community, successfully healing the lingering schism.[citation needed] He also focused on improving church institutions. During his reign Gregory founded both the Patriarchal College in Beirut in 1865 and the Patriarchal College in Damascus in 1875 and re-opened the Melkite seminary of Ain Traz in 1866.[21][22] He also promoted the establishment of Saint Ann's Seminary, Jerusalem, in 1882 by the White Fathers for the training of the Melkite clergy.[23]
Following the
Gregory was also a prominent proponent of Eastern ecclesiology at the First Vatican Council.[citation needed] In the two discourses he gave at the Council on May 19 and June 14, 1870, he insisted on the importance of conforming to the decisions of the Council of Florence, of not creating innovations such as papal 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.[25] He was keenly aware of the disastrous impact that the dogmatic definition of papal infallibility would have on relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church and emerged as a prominent opponent of the dogma at the Council.[26] He also defended the rights and privileges of the patriarchs according to the canons promulgated by earlier ecumenical councils. Speaking at the Council on May 19, 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.[27]
Patriarch Gregory refused to sign the Council's dogmatic declaration on papal infallibility. He and the seven other Melkite bishops present voted non placet at the general congregation and left Rome prior to the adoption of the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus on papal infallibility.[28] Other members of the anti-infallibilist minority, both from the Latin church and from other Eastern Catholic churches, also left the city.[28]
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.".
Vatican II conflicts over Latin and Melkite traditions
Patriarch
Following the Second Vatican Council the Melkites moved to restoring traditional worship. This involved both the restoration of Melkite practices such as administering the
These reforms led to protests by some Melkite churches that the de-latinisation had gone too far. During the Patriarchate of
Resolution
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, Father
Further protests against the de-latinisation of the church occurred during the patriarchate of Maximos 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.[33]
Attempts to unite the Melkite diaspora
Due to heavy emigration from the Eastern Mediterranean, which began with the
The Patriarchate of Maximos V saw many advances in the worldwide presence of the Melkite Church, called "the Diaspora":
.In 1967, a native Egyptian of Syrian-Aleppin descent, George Selim Hakim, was elected the successor of Maximos IV, and took the name Maximos V. He was to reign until he retired at the age of 92 in the Jubilee Year of 2000. He reposed on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2001. He was succeeded by Archbishop Lutfi Laham, who took the name Gregory III.
Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Israel,
Due to the Christian emigration from the Middle East, São Paulo is now home to the largest Melkite community in the diaspora (estimated around 433,000),[37] followed by Argentina (302,800). Other large Melkite communities can be found in Australia (52,000), Canada (35,000), Venezuela (25,400), the United States (24,000), and other countries.[38] According to figures by the Holy See in 2008, Lebanon is now home to the largest Melkite community in the Middle East (425,000), followed by Syria (234,000).[39] There are more than 80,000 Greek Melkite Catholics in Israel and Palestine, and 27,600 Greek Melkite Catholics in Jordan.[38]
Organization
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is in full communion with the
The Melkite
Patriarchate
The current Patriarch is
The patriarchate is administered by a permanent synod, which includes the Patriarch and four bishops, the ordinary tribunal of the patriarch for legal affairs, the patriarchal economos who serves as financial administrator, and a chancery.[41]
Current dioceses and similar jurisdictions
In the
in:- Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan, where the Patriarch of Antioch has the style of Titular Patriarch of Alexandria:
- Patriarchal Vicar or Protosyncellus, titular Archeparchy of Alexandria)
- The Titular Patriarchof Jerusalem:
- Israel: Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka (including Haifa, Nazareth and all Galilee)
- Melkite Catholic Territory Dependent on the Patriarch of Jerusalem(administered by a Patriarchal Vicar or Protosyncellus, titular Archeparchy of Jerusalem).
- Transjordan: Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman and all Transjordan
- Iraq:
- Arabian Peninsula:
- Lebanon:
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Baalbek
- Marjeyoun(suffragan of Tyre)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos (nominally Metropolitan)
- Deir el-Kamar(suffragan of Tyre)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli (suffragan of Tyre)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre (Metropolitan see with three Lebanese archiepiscopal suffragans)
- Bekaa(suffragan of Damascus)
- Syria:
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus, Patriarchal See of Antioch
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo (nominally Metropolitan)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Bosra and Hauran (Archeparchy of Khabab) (nominally metropolitan)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs (united with titular sees Hama and Yabroud) (nominally metropolitan)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Latakia (including the Valley of the Christians)
- Turkey (Eurasia):
Throughout the rest of the world, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has dioceses and exarchates for its diaspora in:
- Australia and New Zealand (Oceania):
- North America:
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur in Montréal(Canada)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso in Mexico City (Mexico)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (United States of America)
- South America:
In Western Europe, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has the following parishes and communities for its diaspora:
- While in some countries the Melkite diaspora is served pastorally by the Eastern Ordinariates, one of the Ordinaries is appointed Apostolic visitorfor the countries without proper ordinariate.
- Melkite Greek Catholic Parish of Saint Julien the Poor (Paris, France) (subject to the Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in France)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Parish of Saint Nicolas of Myra (Marseille, France) (subject to the Ordinariate for Eastern Catholics in France)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Parish of St. John Chrysostom (Brussels, Belgium) (subject to the Latin Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Parish of St. John Chrysostom (London, United Kingdom) (subject to the Latin Diocese of Westminster)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Missions in Stockholm and Sollentuna (Sweden) (subject to the Latin Diocese of Stockholm)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Community of the Church of Our Lady of Damascus (La Valeta, Malta) (subject to the Latin Archdiocese of Malta)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Community of the Church of St. James (Vienna, Austria) (subject to the Ordinariate for Catholics of Byzantine Rite in Austria)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Community of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin (Rome, Italy) (under the care of the Patriarch's Procurator in Rome)
- Melkite Greek Catholic Community of the Church of Saint Basil at the Gardens of Sallust (Rome, Italy) (under the care of the Basilian Salvatorian Order)
Titular sees
- Four Metropolitan Titular archbishoprics: Apamea in Syria, Cesarea in Palæstina, Edessa in Osrhoëne, Pelusium
- Six other Titular archbishoprics: Adana, Cesarea in Cappadocia, Damiata, Hama (united with current Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs), Hierapolis in Syria, Myra, Tarsus
- Two Episcopal Titular bishoprics: Jabrud (united with current Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs), Laodicea in Syria, Palmyra
Religious institutes
Orders of Pontifical right
Masculine
- Basilian Aleppian Order [Basilian Aleppine Order of the Melkites, B.A.]
- Basilian Chouerite Order[Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist of the Melkites, B.C.]
- Basilian Salvatorian Order [Basilian Order of the Most Holy Saviour of the Melkites, B.S.]
Feminine
- Basilian Aleppian Sisters [R.B.A.]
- Basilian Chouerite Sisters [R.B.C.]
- Basilian Salvatorian Sisters of the Annunciation [C.S.B.A.] (it)
Institutes of Patriarchal right
Masculine
- Melkite Missionaries of St. Paul [Society of Missionaries of St. Paul, S.M.S.P.] (it)
Feminine
- Melkite Missionaries of Our Lady of Perpetual Help [Congregation of Missionaries of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, C.M.P.S.]
Other
There are also several patriarchal organizations with offices and chapters throughout the world, including:
- the Global Melkite Association, a group which networks eparchies, monasteries, schools and Melkite associations
- Friends of The Holy Land, a lay charitable organization active in the diaspora which provides clothing, medicine and liturgical items for churches and communities in the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine, Jordan), Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria.
Ecclesiastical decorations
- Grand Master, which promotes religious, cultural, charitable and social works of concern to the Church
- Order of Saint Nicholas, a regional lay order founded in 1991 by Bishop Ignatius Ghattas of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton[44]
Other
- Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (OSLJ), a Christian ecumenical lay order under protection of the Patriarch of Antioch since 1910 (some sources claim since 1841)[45]
- ecumenical organisation with Generalkommandantur (general command) in Cologne, Germany, and a seat in Jerusalem, under protection of the Patriarch of Antioch since 22 September 1990. The Grand Priory of Poland of the OMCTH was granted the Autonomous Statute General on 12 December 2018 by Patriarch Youssef Absi. Grand Priory of Poland was established as the sole Catholic Chivalric Order with the Grand Prior of Poland as the Vicar General of the Order.[46]
See also
- Melkite
- List of Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch
- Patriarch of Antioch
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton
Notes
- Latin: Ecclesiae Graecae Melchitae Catholicae
- Latin: Patriarchae Graeco Melchitae iurisdictionem tribuimus in eos quoque fideles eiusdem ritus qui intra fines Turcici Imperii versantur.) (English: We grant the jurisdiction of the Greek Melchite Patriarch over those faithful of the same rite who are within the borders of the Turkish Empire.)
References
- ^ a b Schaefer, Francis James [at Wikisource] (1913). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ a b Roberson, Ronald G. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019. Information sourced from Annuario Pontificio 2017 edition
- ^ "The Melkites". Eparchy of Newton : Melkite Greek Catholic Church. 14 August 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Church History". Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007.
- ^ Faulk 2007, pp. 9–10.
- ^ a b Parry & Melling 1999, p. 312.
- ^ a b Dick 2004, p. 9.
- ^ Faulk 2007, p. 5.
- ^ Liles, Martha. "Unofficial History of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church". Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
- ^ Tawil 2001, pp. 1–3.
- ^ Dick 2004, pp. 13–15.
- ISBN 978-0-300-26166-0.
- ^ Microsoft Word - ANTIOCHhistoryencyclopedia.doc (najim.net)
- ^ "An Introduction: Who are the Melkite Greek Catholics?". Catholic Exchange. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Melchite | Eastern Orthodoxy, Byzantine Rite & History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Tawil 2001, p. 21.
- ^ a b Dick 2004, p. 21.
- ^ Fortescue, Adrian (1913). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Abou Nohra, Joseph. "Les Origines et le Rayonnement culturel de la première imprimerie à caractères Arabes au Liban (1733)". One Art (in French). Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ISBN 1892278014.
- ^ a b c Dick 2004, p. 38.
- ^ Graham, James (24 August 2003). "History of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church". Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ISSN 1018-9556.
- ^ Faraj, John. "History of the Melkite Community of New York". The Church of The Virgin Mary Melkite Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ Dick 2004, pp. 109–111.
- ^ a b c Parry & Melling 1999, p. 313.
- ^ Dick 2004, p. 110. Dick notes that his source is Patelos, Constantin (1981). Vatican I et les évêques uniates. Louvain: Nauwelaerts.
- ^ a b Descy 1993, p. 64.
- ^ a b Zoghby 1998, p. 83.
- ISBN 978-0-8245-2329-9.
- ISBN 978-0-19-024526-9.
- ^ a b c Dick 2004, p. 39.
- ^ Joffe, Lawrence (28 July 2001). "Obituaries: Maximos V: Spiritual leader of a million Christians". The Guardian. p. 22. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-521-00582-1.
- ISBN 9789004423718.
- ^ "The Christian communities in Israel". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ^ Madeira, Fidel; Petterle, Izan. "Paradise in Brazil". Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Melkite Greek Catholic Church". Catholic and Culture. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Syria – SYR36307 – Catholic Christians – Freedom of religion – Islamist groups" (PDF). Australian Government: Refugee Review Tribunal. 20 January 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2022 – via European Country of Origin Information Network.
- ^ Faulk 2007, pp. 5–7.
- ^ a b The Melkite Handbook: Introducing the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton: Office of Educational Services. 2008. p. 12.
- ISBN 978-1-4443-3361-9. Archivedfrom the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Joseph Absi elected patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church". The Daily Star. Beirut. 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017.
- ^ "The Order of St. Nicholas". Eparchy of Newton : Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Short History of the Order of St Lazarus". The British Heraldic Archive. Key West Telecommunications Limited. 17 April 2003. Archived from the original on 17 April 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Statut Generalny Zakonu" (in Polish). Ordo Militiae Christi Templi Hierosolymitani. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
Sources
- Descy, Serge (1993). The Melkite Church. Boston: Sophia Press.
- Dick, Ignatios (2004). Melkites: Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholics of the Patriarchates of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem. Boston: Sophia Press.
- Faulk, Edward (2007). 101 Questions and Answers on Eastern Catholic Churches. New York: Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-4441-9.
- Parry, Ken; Melling, David, eds. (1999). The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Malden, Massachusetts.: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-23203-6.
- ISBN 0-911726-54-3.
- Roccasalvo, Joan L. (1992). The Eastern Catholic Churches: An Introduction To Their Worship and Spirituality. Collegeville, Minnesota.: The Liturgical Press. ISBN 0-8146-2047-7.
- Tawil, Joseph (2001). The Patriarchate of Antioch Throughout History: An Introduction. Boston: Sophia Press.
- ISBN 1-892278-06-5.