Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Melkite Greek Catholic Church | |
|---|---|
| كنيسة الروم الملكيين الكاثوليك (Arabic) | |
| Type | Particular church (sui luris) |
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Polity | Episcopal polity |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Youssef Absi |
| First Patriarch | Cyril VI Tanas |
| Region | Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Sweden |
| Language | Arabic (diaspora: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish; liturgical: Greek) |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition, Damascus, Syria |
| Founder | Saint Peter and Saint Paul (according to tradition) |
| Origin | 1st century AD (traditionally) |
| Branched from | Church of Antioch |
| Separations | |
| Members | 1,568,239 |
| Other names |
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| Official website | Official website |
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Arabic: كنيسة الروم الملكيين الكاثوليك, Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk; Greek: Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία; Latin: Ecclesia Graeca Melchitarum Catholica), also known as the 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 hierarch is Patriarch Youssef Absi, whose see is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus, Syria.
The Melkite Church follows the Byzantine Rite and traces its origins to the early Christian community of the Patriarchate of Antioch in the 1st century AD, traditionally founded by the apostle Saint Peter.
The Melkite Church shares its liturgical, theological, and spiritual heritage with the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and other Eastern Orthodox churches. It is primarily centered in the Levant: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, with significant diaspora communities found worldwide due to historical migration, persecution, and intermarriage.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church formally entered into communion with Rome under Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas in 1724, a move opposed by some members of the Church of Antioch who formed the separate Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. Today, the Melkite Church has approximately 1.6 million members worldwide.