Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq

Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq (Melkite Greek)
Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq (Melkite Greek)
Location
Country	Iraq
Statistics
Population; - Catholics	(as of 2011); 400
Parishes	1
Information
Denomination	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Rite	Byzantine Rite
Established	1838
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Patriarch	Youssef Absi
Patriarchal Exarch	Sede vacante

Melkite (Greek) Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq^[1] (informally Iraq of the (Greek-)Melkites) is a Patriarchal exarchate (Eastern Catholic pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction) of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church sui iuris (Byzantine Rite in Greek language for part of Iraq.

It is immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites, not part of its or any other ecclesiastical province, and in Rome depends on the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. It is currently vacant.

Territory and statistics

The Exarchate extends its jurisdiction over the Melkite Greek Catholic faithful in Iraq.

There is only one parish, in Baghdad, whose church of San Giorgio opened on April 27, 1962. In 2011 there were 400 baptized Melkite Catholics belonging to the Patriarchal Exarchate.

History

From the second half of the eighteenth century began to settle in Iraq Melkite Christians, to whom the Latin missionaries or clergy of other Eastern churches assuring the religious service.

Patriarch Maximos III Mazloum established the Patriarchal exarchate in Iraq on September 17, 1838 on territory previously without proper Ordinary of the particular church sui iuris.

The first Melkite-Greek Catholic priest to reside in Iraq was Father Macarios Andraos of Aleppo. He made use of the Syrian-Catholic church situated in the Akd en-Nassara district of Baghdad. At his death in 1886, he was succeeded by the Aleppine monk Romanos Kallab (1886-1926), who brought his parishioners together in the Armenian Catholic Church. Then there arrived Archimandrite Maximos Hakim (1926-1964) of the eparchial clergy of Aleppo. He began by arranging an independent chapel in the Akd en-Nassara sector already mentioned. He then undertook the construction of a new church, St George's, in east Karradeh, with a presbytery adjoining and a meeting-hall.

However it was not until the Archimandrite Maximos Hakim that the small Melkite Greek Catholic community in Iraq could have his own church dedicated to St. George; however it was bombed on October 17, 2003 during Gulf War II.

Since 2004 Patriarch Gregory III Laham, who has assumed direct responsibility for the Exarchate, entrusted pastoral service in the parish of Baghdad to the Redemptorist Vincent Vossel.

Ordinaries

Patriarchal Exarchs of Iraq

Makarios Andraos (1838 - 1886)
Romanos Kallab (1886 - 1926)
Maximos Hakim (1926 - 1964)
Archimandrite Isaiah Dakkak (1964? - 1971)
Archimandrite Basilios Kanakry (1971 - 1978), also Patriarchal Vicar of Kuwait of the Greek-Melkites (Kuwait) (25 March 1972 – 1991), later promoted Patriarchal Exarch of Kuwait of the (Greek-)Melkites (Kuwait) (1991 – retired 2002)
Archimandrite Laurent Fayçal, Salvatorian Fathers (B.S.) (1979 - 1986 resigned)
Archimandrite Nicholas Dagher (1986 - 1997 resigned)
Georges El-Murr, BC (1997 - 23 June 2007 resigned), while Archepartch (Archbishop) of Petra and Philadelphia of the Greek-Melkites (Jordan) (26 August 1992 – resigned 23 June 2007) (administrator)
Sede vacante (since 23 June 2007)

References

^ gcatholic.org

Sources and External Links

[1] tholic.org

[1]

v t e Melkite Catholic Church
Byzantine Rite
Patriarchs	Cyril VI Tanas Athanasius IV Jawhar Maximos II Hakim Theodosius V Dahan Athanasius IV Jawhar Cyril VII Siaj Agapius II Matar Ignatius IV Sarrouf Athanasius V Matar Macarius IV Tawil Ignatius V Qattan Maximos III Mazloum Clement Bahouth Gregory II Youssef Peter IV Geraigiry Cyril VIII Geha Demetrius I Qadi Cyril IX Moghabghab Maximos IV Sayegh Maximos V Hakim Gregory III Laham Youssef I Absi
Eparchies	Archeparchy of Damascus Archeparchy of Aleppo Archeparchy of Bosra-Hauran Archeparchy of Homs Archeparchy of Latakia Archeparchy of Tyre Archeparchy of Beirut and Byblos Archeparchy of Baalbek Archeparchy of Baniyas Archeparchy of Sidon Archeparchy of Tripoli Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman Archeparchy of Akka Patriarchal Dependent Territory of Jerusalem Patriarchal Exarchate of Iraq Patriarchal Exarchate of Kuwait Patriarchal Dependent Territory of Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan Patriarchal Exarchate of Istanbul Eparchy of Newton Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur of Montréal Eparchy of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso in Mexico City Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo Apostolic Exarchate of Argentina Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela Eparchy of Saint Michael Archangel in Sydney
Churches	Cathedrals: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition, Damascus St. Elias Cathedral, Beirut St. George's Cathedral, Amman St. Elijah Cathedral, Haifa Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation, Jerusalem Annunciation Cathedral, Boston St. Anne's Cathedral, Los Angeles Saint Sauveur Cathedral, Montréal Porta Coeli Cathedral, Mexico City Our Lady of Paradise Cathedral, São Paulo St. George's Cathedral, Caracas Churches: Sts Peter and Paul Church, Ottawa St. Peter and St. Paul Church, Shefa-Amr Synagogue Church, Nazareth St. George's Church, Milwaukee St. Jude's Church, Miami Chapel of Saint Paul, Damascus Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, Paris Shrine: Our Lady of Awaiting
Religious institutes	Basilian Aleppian Order Basilian Aleppian Sisters Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist Basilian Chouerite Sisters Basilian Salvatorian Order
See also	Mariam Baouardy Lebanese Melkite Christians
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