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 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.
The Catholic Church in Syria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Catholic Church in Jordan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Jordan contains one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, their presence dating back to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ early in the 1st century AD. Christians today make up about 3% of the population. Jordanian Christians in a country of almost 10 million are thought to number 250,000-400,000, down from 20% in 1930, but their absolute numbers have increased. This is due to high immigration rate of Muslims into Jordan, higher emigration rates of Christians and higher birth rates for Muslims. All Christian religious ceremonies are allowed to be publicly celebrated in Jordan.
The Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos is a metropolitan eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church since 1881, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Located in Lebanon, it includes the cities of Beirut and Byblos, and in terms of population, it is the largest Melkite eparchy in the Middle East. Its current Eparch, Georges Wadih Bacouni, S.M.S.P., was elected in November 2018.
Borys Gudziak is an American prelate of the Catholic Church serving, since 2019, as the Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. He founded the Institute of Church History and served as the rector and president of the Ukrainian Catholic University. Gudziak has authored and edited several books on church history, theology, modern church life, and higher education reforms.
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka is an Eastern Catholic diocese of Melkite Greek Catholic Church, directly subject to the Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch. Its Cathedral episcopal see is St. Elijah Greek-Melkite Cathedral, in Haifa.
Joseph Gébara is a Lebanese Catholic archeparch of the Byzantine Rite, and current Archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman.
Issam John Darwich, BS, was Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol in Lebanon from 2011 to 2021.
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman is a branch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites. In 2007 there were 27,000 baptized. Joseph Gébara was elected Archeparch on February 20, 2018.
Paul Salman was the first Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church who, on May 2, 1932 by Pope Pius XI became the archeparch Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman.
Mikhayl Assaf was the second archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman. He was the successor to Archbishop Paul Salman.
Yasser Ayyash is a former archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman and the current Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchal Archeparchy of Jerusalem.
Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C., is the current archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs, Hama and Yabroud.
Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Bosra and Hauran is an archeparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church with its territory located in Syria. It is currently governed by Archeparch Nicolas Antiba, BA.
Michel Hakim, BS was Vicar Apostolic of Canada and first bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur in Montréal in Canada.
Elie Bechara Haddad, BS is a Lebanese prelate of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church who has been the Archeparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Sidon since 2007.
St. Elijah Cathedral, also called St. Elias Greek-Melkite Cathedral, is the Melkite cathedral in Haifa, serving the Greek-Catholics of the Byzantine rite making up the majority of Christians in both Haifa and Israel. St. Elijah Cathedral is the cathedral of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Akka, which was created by bull Episcopalis synodus of Pope Paul VI.
Catholic dioceses in the Holy Land and Cyprus is a multi-rite, international episcopate in Israel and Cyprus.
