According to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, its origins go back to the establishment of Christianity in the Near East. As Christianity began to spread, the disciples preached the Gospel throughout the region and were for the first time recorded to be called "Christians" in the city of
Antioch (
Acts 11:26), the historical
See of the
Melkite Catholic Patriarchate. Scholars attribute the actual writing of the gospels in
Koine Greek to the Hellenized Christian population of Antioch, with authors such as
St. Luke, the author of the
Gospel of Luke and
The Acts of the Apostles. By the 2nd century, Christianity was widespread in Antioch and throughout Syria. Growth of the church did not stop during periods of persecution, and by the end of the 4th century Christianity became the official state religion. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church traces its origins to the Christian communities of the
Levant and
Egypt. The term
Melkites was originally referred to those Christian in Egypt who were loyal to the
Council of Chalcedon and was later referred to those in the Levant region as well. The church's leadership was vested in the three apostolic patriarchates of the
ancient patriarchates:
Alexandria,
Antioch and
Jerusalem.
Fallout of the Fourth Ecumenical Council After the Fourth Ecumenical Council—the Council of Chalcedon—in AD 451, fifth-century Middle-Eastern Christian society became sharply divided between those who did and those who did not accept the outcome of the council. The
Chalcedonians—i.e., those who accepted the decrees of the council—were mainly
Greek-speaking city-dwellers; they were called
Melkites ("imperials") by the anti-Chalcedonians, who were predominantly
Armenian or
Coptic-speaking provincials.
Fusion with Arabic language and culture The
Battle of Yarmuk (AD 636) took the Melkite homeland out of Byzantine control and placed it under the occupation of the Arab invaders. While the Greek language and culture remained important, especially for the Melkites of Jerusalem, Antiochene Melkite tradition merged with the Arabic language and culture. Though there was
Arabic Christian poetry before the arrival of
Islam, the newly extensive Antiochene blending with Arabic culture led to a degree of distancing from the
Patriarch of Constantinople. Despite the Arab invasion, the Melkites continued to exercise an important role in the Universal Church. The Melkites played a leading role in condemning the
iconoclast controversy when it re-appeared in the early 9th century, and were among the first of the Eastern churches to respond to the introduction of the clause in the West.
Communion with the Catholic Church in 1923 In 1724,
Cyril VI Tanas was elected the new
patriarch of Antioch. As Cyril was considered to be pro-Western, the
Patriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople feared that his own authority would be compromised by the former's ascent; Jeremias therefore declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and ordained the Greek
hierodeacon Sylvester of Antioch as a priest and bishop, so that the latter might take Cyril's place. Sylvester—considered "unyielding and uncompromising" by both supporters and opponents—exacerbated divisions within the Church with his heavy-handed rule, and many Melkites reacted by instead acknowledging Cyril's claim to the patriarchal throne. Sylvester began a five-year campaign of persecution enforced by Ottoman Turkish troops against Cyril and the Melkite faithful who supported him, forcing him to find refuge in Lebanon. Five years after the election of Cyril VI, in 1729,
Pope Benedict XIII recognized him as patriarch of Antioch, and recognized his followers as being in
full communion with the
Catholic Church and the
pope of
Rome. From this time onward, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has existed separately from and in parallel to the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in
Western Asia; the latter is no longer referred to as
Melkite. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has played an important role in the leadership of
Arab Christianity; it has always been led by Arabic-speaking Christians, whereas its Orthodox counterpart had Greek patriarchs until 1899. Indeed, at the very beginning of its separate existence, around 1725, one lay leader and theologian—
Abdallah Zakher of
Aleppo (1684–1748)—set up the very first
printing press in the
Arab world. In 1835,
Maximos III Mazloum, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, was recognized by the
Ottoman Empire as the leader of a
millet (a distinctive religious community within the Empire).
Pope Gregory XVI gave Maximos III Mazloum the triple-patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem—a title that is still held by the leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Expansion and participation at the First Vatican Council window at the
Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral in
Roslindale, Massachusetts depicting
Christ enthroned in
regalia of a
Byzantine emperor In 1806,
Germanos Adam, the Archbishop of Aleppo, convened the
Synod of Qarqafe which adapted and ratified propositions of the 1786
Synod of Pistoia. It was formally accepted by the Melkite church, but was formally condemned in 1835 by
Pope Gregory XVI in the bull
Melchitarum Catholicorum Synodus. In 1847,
Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) reinstituted the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the person of the 34-year-old
Giuseppe Valerga (1813–1872), whom the indigenous hierarchy nicknamed "The Butcher" because of his fierce opposition to the
Eastern Orthodox churches of the Holy Land. When he arrived in Jerusalem in 1847, there were 4,200 Latin Catholics and when he died in 1872, the number had doubled. In 1856,
Clement Bahouth became Patriarch. Under pressure from the
Roman Curia to adopt
Latin Church practices, he introduced the Gregorian calendar used by the Latin and Maronite Churches in 1857. The act caused serious problems within the Melkite community, resulting in a short-lived schism. At one point, the
Metropolitan of Beirut, Agapios Riashi, refused to comply and supported two priests, Gabriel Gibara and John Massamiri, who openly revolted and formed dissident groups in Damascus and Egypt. Three bishops – Theodosius Qayoumgi, Basil Chahiat, and Meletius Findi – representing the archeparchies of
Sidon,
Zahlé, and
Baalbek, respectively, sided with the dissidents. In the face of the growing conflict, Clement attempted to abdicate his position as patriarch, but the pope,
Pius IX, rejected his resignation. Pius IX summoned Riashi, but was rebuffed, instead sending a letter with the other three bishops. The Vatican condemned the letter and called on Bahouth to claim the support of the
Sublime Porte. Riashi continued to resist and was, as a result, excluded from the
First Vatican Council. The other three bishops eventually resubmitted to the patriarch. Although Massamiri – who had been consecrated as the Orthodox Bishop of Palmyra – was brought back by the next patriarch,
Gregory II Youssef, Gibara died in dissidence. In 1864, Bahouth again requested to be allowed to resign, hoping to retire to monastic life. This time, the pope assented and his resignation was officially accepted on 24 September 1864. On 29 September, the
Bishop of Acre,
Gregory II Youssef, was chosen as Patriarch. Officially confirmed in 1865, Gregory initially focused on improving church institutions. During his time as patriarch, Gregory founded both the Patriarchal College in Beirut in 1865 and the Patriarchal College in Damascus in 1875 and he re-opened the Melkite seminary of
Ain Traz in 1866. He also promoted the establishment of Saint Ann's Seminary, Jerusalem, in 1882 by the
White Fathers for the training of the Melkite clergy. Following the
Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856, decreed by Sultan
Abdülmecid I, the situation of Christians in the Near East improved. This allowed Gregory to successfully encourage greater participation by the Melkite laity in both church administration as well as public affairs. Gregory also took an interest in ministering to the growing number of Melkites who had emigrated to the Americas. In 1889 he dispatched Father Ibrahim Beshawate of the Basilian Salvatorian Order in Saida, Lebanon, to New York in order to minister to the growing Syrian community there. According to historian Philip Hitte, Beshawate was the first permanent priest in the United States from the Near East from among the Melkite,
Maronite, and Antiochian Orthodox churches. Gregory was also a prominent proponent of Eastern ecclesiology at the First Vatican Council, giving a now oft-lauded speech during its fifty-fourth session regarding the third chapter of
Pastor aeternus. In the two discourses he gave at the Council on 19 May and 14 June 1870, he insisted on the importance of conforming to the decisions of the
Council of Florence, of not creating innovations such as
papal infallibility, but accepting what had been decided by common agreement between the Greeks and the Latins at the Council of Florence, especially with regard to the issue of papal primacy. He was keenly aware of the disastrous impact that the dogmatic definition of papal infallibility would have on relations with the
Eastern Orthodox Church and emerged as a prominent opponent of the dogma at the Council. He also defended the rights and privileges of the patriarchs according to the canons promulgated by earlier ecumenical councils. Speaking at the Council on 19 May 1870, Patriarch Gregory asserted: The Eastern Church attributes to the pope the most complete and highest power, however in a manner where the fullness and primacy are in harmony with the rights of the patriarchal sees. This is why, in virtue of an ancient right founded on customs, the Roman Pontiffs did not, except in very significant cases, exercise over these sees the ordinary and immediate jurisdiction that we are asked now to define without any exception. This definition would completely destroy the constitution of the entire Greek church. That is why my conscience as a pastor refuses to accept this constitution. Patriarch Gregory refused to sign the Council's dogmatic declaration on papal infallibility. He and the seven other Melkite bishops present voted
non placet at the general congregation and left Rome prior to the adoption of the dogmatic constitution
Pastor aeternus on papal infallibility. Other members of the anti-infallibilist minority, both from the Latin church and from other Eastern Catholic churches, also left the city. After the First Vatican Council concluded, an emissary of the Roman Curia was dispatched to secure the signatures of the patriarch and the Melkite delegation. Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite bishops subscribed to it, but with the qualifying clause as used at the Council of Florence attached: "except the rights and privileges of Eastern patriarchs". He earned the enmity of Pius IX for this. According to one account, during his next visit to the
pontiff, Gregory was cast to the floor at Pius' feet by the papal guard while the pope placed his foot on the patriarch's head. This story, however, has been cast into doubt by more recent studies of the First Vatican Council.
John R. Quinn cites
Joseph Hajjar in his book
Revered and Reviled: A Re-Examination of Vatican Council 1,: "We have been unable to find any document to provide historical verification for such treatment by the Pope." Orthodox historian A. Edward Siecienski reports that the historicity of this story "is now deeply suspect." Despite this, Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite Church remained committed to their union with the Church of Rome. Relationships with the Vatican improved following the death of Pius IX and the subsequent election of
Leo XIII as pontiff. Leo's
encyclical Orientalium dignitas addressed some of the Eastern Catholic Churches' concerns on
latinization and the centralizing tendencies of Rome. Leo also confirmed that the limitations placed on the Armenian Catholic patriarch by Pius IX's 1867 letter
Reversurus would not apply to the Melkite Church; further, Leo formally recognized an expansion of Patriarch Gregory's jurisdiction to include all Melkites throughout the
Ottoman Empire.
Vatican II conflicts over Latin and Melkite traditions . Patriarch
Maximos IV Sayegh took part in the
Second Vatican Council where he argued against Latinization and championed the Eastern tradition of Christianity, arguing that Latin Church Catholics should be more receptive to the authentic traditions of Eastern Christianity. He won a great deal of respect from Orthodox observers at the council as well as the approbation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Athenagoras I, who noted: "You have represented the East at the Council and there you have caused our voice to be heard." Following the Second Vatican Council the Melkites moved to restoring traditional worship. This involved both the restoration of Melkite practices such as administering the
Eucharist to infants following post-baptismal
chrismation as well as removal of
Latinized elements such as communion rails and confessionals. In the pre-conciliar days, the leaders of this trend were members of "The Cairo School", a group of young priests centered on the Patriarchal College in Cairo. This group included Fathers
George Selim Hakim,
Joseph Tawil,
Elias Zoghby, and former Jesuit
Oreste Kerame; they later became bishops and participated in the Second Vatican Council, and saw their efforts vindicated; the work done by the School laid the foundation for Maximos' work at the Second Vatican Council. These reforms led to protests by some Melkite churches that the de-latinisation had gone too far. During the Patriarchate of
Maximos IV Sayegh, some Melkites in the United States objected to the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a movement that was spearheaded by the future archbishop of Nazareth, Father
Joseph Raya of Birmingham, Alabama. The issue garnered national news coverage after Bishop
Fulton Sheen celebrated a Pontifical Divine Liturgy in English at the Melkite National convention in Birmingham in 1960, parts of which were televised on the national news.
Resolution In 1960, the issue was resolved by Pope John XXIII at the request of Patriarch Maximos IV in favour of the use of vernacular languages in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Pope John also consecrated a Melkite priest, Father
Gabriel Acacius Coussa, as a bishop, using the Byzantine Rite and the
papal tiara as a crown. Bishop Coussa was almost immediately elevated to the cardinalate, but died two years later. His cause for canonization was introduced by his religious order, the
Basilian Alepian Order. Further protests against the de-latinisation of the church occurred during the patriarchate of
Maximos V Hakim (1967–2000) when some church officials who supported Latin traditions protested against allowing the ordination of married men as priests. Today the church sees itself as an authentic Orthodox church in communion with the Catholic Church. As such it has a role as a voice of the East within the western church, a bridge between faiths and peoples.
Growth of the Melkite diaspora at Saint George Greek-Melkite Church in
Sacramento, California Due to heavy emigration from the Eastern Mediterranean, which began with the
Damascus massacres of 1860 in which most of the Christian communities were attacked, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church today is found throughout the world and no longer made up exclusively of faithful of Eastern Mediterranean origin. The Patriarchate of Maximos V saw many advances in the worldwide presence of the Melkite Church, called "the Diaspora":
Eparchies (the Eastern equivalent of a diocese) were established in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia,
Argentina, and Mexico in response to the continued emptying of the Eastern Mediterranean of her native Christian peoples. In 1950, the richest Melkite community in the world was in Egypt. After the establishment of the
United Arab Republic by
Gamal Abdul Nasser in 1958, a combination of factors led several thousand Melkites from Syria – particularly
Aleppo and
Damascus – and Egypt to emigrate to Lebanon. In 1967, a native Egyptian of Syrian-Aleppin descent, George Selim Hakim, was elected the successor of Maximos IV, and took the name
Maximos V. He was to reign until he retired at the age of 92 in the Jubilee Year of 2000. He died on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2001. He was succeeded by Archbishop Lutfi Laham, who took the name Gregory III. == Demographics ==