Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs

Archeparchy of Homs (Melkite Greek)

*Archeparchy Hemesena Graecorum Melkitarum-Epiphaniensis-Iabrudensis*
Archeparchy of Homs (Melkite Greek); Archeparchy Hemesena Graecorum Melkitarum-Epiphaniensis-Iabrudensis
Location
Country	Syria
Statistics
Population; - Catholics	(as of 2010); 30,000
Parishes	21
Information
Denomination	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Rite	Byzantine Rite
Established	1849
Cathedral	Our Lady of Peace Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Patriarch	Youssef Absi
Archeparch	Jean-Abdo Arbach
Bishops emeritus	Isidore Battikha

Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Homs^[1] (in Latin: Archeparchy Hemesena Graecorum Melkitarum-Epiphaniensis-Iabrudensis) is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy (Eastern Catholic archdiocese) of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine Rite, Arabic) in central Syria. It was established on March 4, 1849 and has no suffragan, but two merged-in eparchial titles.

Territory and statistics

The archeparchy extends in the central part of Syria, corresponding roughly to the Hama Governorate and Homs Governorate.

Its archeparchial see is the city of Homs, where is located the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. In Yabrud is located the co-cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen.

It is currently governed by Archeparch Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C.

The territory is divided into 21 parishes and there were 30,000 Melkite Catholics in 2010.

History

The archeparchy consists of territories that were once three separate ecclesiastical entities: Homs, Hama and Yabrud.

When in 1724 the Melkite Greek Catholic Church was established, the three eparchies started gradually merged.

The union ultimately came during the patriarchate of Maximos III Mazloum and was contextually erected from eparchy of Homs to Metropolitan Archeparchy on March 4, 1849,^[2] as the titles of the Melkite Catholic Archeparchy of Hama and Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Jabrud were formally united with the new Metropolitanate.

Episcopal ordinaries

Metropolitan Archeparchs of Homs

Ignace (mentioned in 1759)
Jéremie (mentioned in 1790)
Gregory Atta (February 20, 1849 - December 3, 1899 deceased)
Flavien Khoury (November 21, 1901 - 1920 resigned), Titular Archbishop of Palmyra of the Greek-Melkites (1920 – ?)
Basil Khoury (November 20, 1920 - October 25, 1938 deceased), Titular Archbishop of Sergiopolis (1938.10.15 – death 1941.11.21)
Athanasios Toutoungi (October 1, 1938 - December 5, 1961), previously Superior General of Basilian Alepian Order (B.A.) (1934 – 1940); later Metropolitan Archeparch of Aleppo of the Greek-Melkites (Syria) (1961.12.05 – 1968.03.06), Titular Archbishop of Tarsus of the Greek-Melkites (1968.03.06 – death 1981.02.20)
Jean Bassoul, Basilian Salvatorian fathers (B.S.) (December 5, 1961 - August 21, 1971), later Archeparch of Zahle and Forzol of the Greek-Melkites (Lebanon) (1971.08.21 – 1977.08.09)
Denys Gaith, Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist (B.C.) (August 21, 1971 - March 22, 1986 deceased)
Abraham Nehmé, B.C. (August 20, 1986 - June 20, 2005 withdrawn)
Isidore Battikha, B.A. (February 9, 2006 - September 6, 2010 resigned), previously Archbishop of Pelusium of the Greek-Melkites (1992.08.25 – 2006.02.09), Auxiliary Bishop of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites (Syria) (1992.08.25 – 2006.02.09)
Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C., (June 23, 2012 - ), previously Titular Bishop of Hilta (2006.10.17 – 2006.11.11), Apostolic Exarch of Argentina of the Greek-Melkites (2006.10.17 – 2012.06.23), Titular Bishop of Palmyra of the Greek-Melkites (2006.11.11 – 2012.06.23)

References

^ gcatholic.org
^ Gli Annuari Pontifici dell'Ottocento parlano delle sedi unite Hemesena e Apamiensis.

Sources and external links

34°44′00″N 36°43′00″E / 34.7333°N 36.7167°E / 34.7333; 36.7167

[1] tholic.org

[2] Gli Annuari Pontifici dell'Ottocento parlano delle sedi unite Hemesena e Apamiensis.

[1]

[2]

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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