Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos
Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos (Melkite Greek) Archieparchia Berytensis et Gibailensis Graecorum Melkitarum | |
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Georges Bacouni, SMSP | |
Bishops emeritus | Joseph Kallas, SMSP |
The Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos (in Latin: Archieparchia Berytensis et Gibailensis Graecorum Melkitarum) is a
Territory and statistics
The territory of the archeparchy includes
History
The Eparchy of Beirut is an ancient Byzantine one, elevated to the rank of archeparchy with the Council of Chalcedon in the fifth century.
The Greek Catholic Eparchy of Beirut was officially founded in 1724, after the Patriarch of Antioch was divided into two branches, the Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic (or Melkite).[1]
In 1701, the Greek bishop of Beirut, Sylvester Dahan, had sent to Rome a profession of the Catholic faith, renewed in the following year. Those were the years when Catholicism obtained great progress in the ranks of the Greeks in the cities of the Lebanese coast, where more entrenched was the presence of Christians of the
Great impetus to the spread of Catholicism in Beirut and in the surrounding areas was the founding of the
With his successor Basilios Jelghaf the cathedral was built on land owned by the Chouerites. A dispute between the Order and the Bishop Youssef Sarrouf about the real estate of the cathedral forced the Holy See to intervene to give reason to the Bishop (1784).
The bishop Agapios Riashi[4] was one of the most vocal opponents of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar desired by Patriarch Maximos III Mazloum. Riashi was responsible for the reconstruction of the cathedral in a more impressive and rich decorations including an iconostasis in marble. This church was demolished in the twentieth century for urban needs.
On the death of Agapios Riashi in 1878 the Melkite community is divided on the choice of his successor. The Chouerites, which so far had given all the bishops of Beirut, and they considered the seat as their fiefdom, lived a difficult time and had no monks prepared for the episcopate. Patriarch Gregory II Youssef was Damascene and Melkite Beirut feared that ended up imposing a native bishop of Damascus. Eventually prevailed to the Holy See, when Pope Leo XIII with his Papal brief Occasione electionis on August 16, 1881, chose Meletios Fakak transferring him from his see in Zahleh and appointing to new Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos. The former Eparchy of Beirut was elevated to the rank of the Archeparchy, uniting it to the seat of Byblos, formerly administered by the bishops of Beirut since 1802. Byblos corresponds to the ancient Byzantine Diocese of Byblos, mentioned in the fourth century. Fakak made his solemn entry only September 30, 1882.
Church of the Archdiocese Melkite Greek Catholic of Beirut and Jbeil
Archdiocese Melkite Greek Catholic of Beirut and Jbeil at Beirut, 655 rue de Damas.[3]
Outside
Inside
Frescoes, Byzantine and Orthodox icons inside the church.
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The main scenes from Marie's life. Reading from right to left : the in the background)
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Reading from right to left : the Presentation of Mary (with the annunciation in the background), the annunciation, the crucifixion of Jesus
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Reading from right to left : the crucifixion of Jesus, The Dormition of the Mother of God
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The Annunciation
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The baptism of Jesus
List of bishops
- Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia)
- Basil Jelghaf (1763 appointed - 1778 died)
- Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia)
- Theodosius Badra, B.C., (1814 appointed - 2 November 1822 died)
- Ignatius Dahan, (1822 appointed - 1828 died)
- Agapios Riashi, (20 April 1828 confirmed - 1878 died)
- Meletios Fakkak, (9 August 1881 appointed - 14 July 1904 died)
- Athanasius Sawoya, B.S., (December 1904 appointed - 6 April 1919 died)
- Basil Cattan, (11 February 1921 appointed - 5 August 1933 resigned)
- Melkite Patriarch of Antiochia)
- Philippe Nabaa, (17 September 1948 appointed - 11 September 1967 died)
- Grégoire Haddad, (9 September 1968 appointed - 19 August 1975 resigned)
- Habib Bacha, S.M.S.P, (23 August 1975 appointed - 23 November 1999 died)
- Joseph Kallas, S.M.S.P, (15 January 2000 appointed - 25 May 2010 retired)
- Cyril Salim Bustros, S.M.S.P, (15 June 2011 confirmed[5] - 9 November 2018 retired)
- Georges Wadih Bacouni, S.M.S.P, (24 November 2018 confirmed - )
Notes
- ^ a b "Beirut and Byblos (Archdiocese)". catholic-hierarchy.org. Statistical data from the Annuario Pontificio 2010.
- ^ "Eparchies & Orders". Greek Catholic Patriarchate. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19.
- ^ a b catholic-hierarchy.org
- ^ [Consacrato il 5 settembre 1828 con il nome di Agapios, ma confermato dalla Santa Sede solo il 20 aprile successivo.]
- ^ "Lebanon's new Melkite leader brings experience working with Muslims". Catholic News Service (via Catholic Sentinel newspaper). July 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2011.