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The Catholic Church in Syria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
In 2020, there were 192,000 Catholics in Syria, approximately 1% of the total population. [1] The Catholics of Syria are members of several different Rite/language-specific Churches; mainly the Melkite, [2] but also including Armenian, Chaldean, Syriac, Maronite and in addition to the Latin Church - there are separate but overlapping jurisdictions for the faithful of each Church.
All these bishops are members of the 'national' Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in Syria and of the (vast) regional Episcopal Conference for Arab countries. The Eastern Catholic bishops also belong to the (international) synod of their patriarchate or other specific church.
Caritas Syria is the charity organisation of the Catholic Church of Syria.
Seven popes from Syria ascended the papal throne, [6] [7] many of them lived in Italy, Pope Gregory III, [8] [9] was previously the last pope to have been born outside Europe until the election of Francis in 2013.
Numerical order | Pontificate | Portrait | Name English · Regnal | Personal name | Place of birth | Notes |
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1 | 33 – 64/67 | ![]() | St Peter PETRUS | Simon Peter | Bethsaida, Galilea , Roman Empire | Saint Peter was from village of Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Roman Syria, Roman Empire (located in the modern Golan Heights) |
11 | 155 to 166 | ![]() | St Anicetus ANICETUS | Anicitus | Emesa, Syria | Traditionally martyred; feast day 17 April |
82 | 12 July 685 – 2 August 686 (1 year+) | ![]() | John V Papa IOANNES Quintus | Antioch, Syria | ||
84 | 15 December 687 – 8 September 701 (3 year+) | ![]() | St Sergius I Papa Sergius | Sicily, Italy | Sergius I was born in Sicily, but he was from Syrian parentage [10] | |
87 | 15 January 708 to 4 February 708 (21 days) | ![]() | Sisinnius Papa SISINNIUS | Syria | ||
88 | 25 March 708 – 9 April 715 (7 years+) | ![]() | Constantine Papa COSTANTINUSsiveCONSTANTINUS | Syria | Last pope to visit Greece while in office, until John Paul II in 2001 | |
90 | 18 March 731 to 28 November 741 (10 years+) | ![]() | St Gregory III Papa GREGORIUS Tertius | Syria | Son of a Syrian named John. |
The Syriac Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in the Levant that uses the West Syriac Rite liturgy and has many practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. Being one of the twenty-three Eastern Catholic Churches, the Syriac Catholic Church is a self-governed sui iuris particular church, while it is in full communion with the Holy See and with the entirety of the Roman Catholic Church.
An exarch was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church, or Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. Its chief pastor is Patriarch Youssef Absi, headquartered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus, Syria. The Melkites, who are Byzantine Rite Catholics, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch, formerly part of Syria and now in Turkey, of the 1st century AD, where Christianity was introduced by Saint Peter.
The Catholic Church in Egypt is considerably small as compared to the rest of the Christian population in Egypt, which is a significant minority among Muslims. The Catholic population in Egypt is said to have begun during the British control of Egypt. However, many emigrated after the 1952 Revolution in Egypt, which also caused the overthrow and exile of King Farouk of Egypt. Catholics in Egypt belong to seven distinct ritual Particular Churches sui iuris, the largest being the Coptic Catholic Church, led by its Patriarch of Alexandria.
The Catholic Church in Turkey is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the canonical leadership of the curia in Rome that is submitted to the Pope.
Catholics in Iraq follow several different rites, but in 2022, most (82%) are members of the Chaldean Catholic Church; about 17% belong to the Syriac Catholic Church, and the remainder are primarily Armenian, Greek and Latin-rite Catholics.
Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical scriptures show that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, leading to the dawn of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. As such, Christianity in Lebanon is almost as old as Christian faith itself. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of Muslim rule, Christianity remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.
The Syriac Catholic Church, established in the second half of the 17th century as an Eastern Catholic offshoot of the Syriac Orthodox Church, had around a dozen dioceses in the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. Three of these dioceses were ruined during the First World War in the Assyrian and Armenian massacres, and the 20th century also saw the growth of an important Syriac Catholic diaspora in America, Europe and Australasia. As of 2012 the Syriac Catholic Church has fifteen dioceses, mostly in the Middle East, and four patriarchal vicariates for the diaspora communities.
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and their predecessors.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Beirut is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in Lebanon, where Eastern Catholics are far more numerous. In 2010, there were 15,000 baptized. Its current bishop is Cesar Essayan.
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in central Syria. It was established on March 4, 1849 and has no suffragan, but two merged-in eparchial titles.
The Eparchy of Latakia or Latakia of the Maronites is a Maronite Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Syria. As of 2011, there were 35,000 members. The current eparch is Antoine Chbeir.
Catholic dioceses in the Holy Land and Cyprus is a multi-rite, international episcopate in Israel and Cyprus.
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronite Church is Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who was elected in March 2011 following the resignation of Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. The seat of the Maronite Patriarchate is in Bkerke, northeast of Beirut, Lebanon. Officially known as the Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church, it is part of Syriac Christianity by liturgy and heritage.