The Catholic Church in Syria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

In 2020, there were 192,000 Catholics in Syria, approximately 1% of the total population.[1] The Catholics of Syria are members of several different Rite/language-specific Churches; mainly the Melkite,[2] but also including Armenian, Chaldean, Syriac, Maronite and in addition to the Latin Church - there are separate but overlapping jurisdictions for the faithful of each Church.

All these bishops are members of the 'national' Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in Syria and of the (vast) regional Episcopal Conference for Arab countries. The Eastern Catholic bishops also belong to the (international) synod of their patriarchate or other specific church.

Dioceses and Archdioceses

[3][4]

Eastern Catholic particular Churches
Byzantine Rite
Antiochian Rites
Maronites (no Metropolitan)
Syriac (Syrian) Catholic
Armenian Rite (no Metropolitan)
Syro-Oriental Rite (no Archeparchy)
Latin Church

Cathedrals

  • Cathedral of Our Lady of Dormition (Greek-Melkite Catholic Archdiocese of Bosra–Haūrān)
  • Cathedral of Our Lady of Latakia (Maronite Catholic Diocese of Lattaquié)
  • Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation (Greek-Melkite Catholic Archdiocese of Lattaquié)
  • Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Syrian Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppe)
  • Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi (Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Aleppe)
  • Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Syrian Catholic Archdiocese of Homs)
  • Cathedral Our Lady of Reliefs (Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppe)
  • Church of the Queen of the Universe (Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Damas)
  • Greek-Melkite Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace (Greek-Melkite Catholic Archdiocese of Homs)
  • Greek-Melkite Cathedral of the Virgin Mary (Greek-Melkite Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppe)
  • Greek-Melkite Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition of Our Lady (Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarchal See of Antioch)
  • Maronite Cathedral (Maronite Catholic Archdiocese of Damas)
  • St. Elias Maronite Cathedral (Maronite Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppe)
  • St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Chaldean Catholic Diocese of Aleppe)
  • Syrian Cathedral (Syrian Catholic Archdiocese of Damas[5]

Syrian popes

Seven popes from Syria ascended the papal throne,[6][7] many of them lived in Italy, Pope Gregory III,[8][9] was previously the last pope to have been born outside Europe until the election of Francis in 2013.

Numerical order Pontificate Portrait Name
English · Regnal		 Personal name Place of birth Notes
1 33 – 64/67 St Peter
PETRUS		 Simon Peter Bethsaida, Galilea, Roman Empire Saint Peter was from village of Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Roman Syria, Roman Empire (located in the modern Golan Heights)
11 155 to 166 St Anicetus
ANICETUS		 Anicitus Emesa, Syria Traditionally martyred; feast day 17 April
82 12 July 685
– 2 August 686
(1 year+)		 John V
Papa IOANNES Quintus		   Antioch, Syria  
84 15 December 687
– 8 September 701
(3 year+)		 St Sergius I
Papa Sergius 		  Sicily, Italy Sergius I was born in Sicily, but he was from Syrian parentage[10]
87 15 January 708
to 4 February 708
(21 days)		 Sisinnius
Papa SISINNIUS		   Tyre, Lebanon  
88 25 March 708
– 9 April 715
(7 years+)		 Constantine
Papa COSTANTINUS sive CONSTANTINUS		   Tyre, Lebanon Last pope to visit Greece while in office, until John Paul II in 2001
90 18 March 731
to 28 November 741
(10 years+)		 St Gregory III
Papa GREGORIUS Tertius		   Syria Son of a Syrian named John.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Catholics and Culture website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  2. ↑ US State Dept 2022 report
  3. ↑ GCatholic.org: Catholic Dioceses in Syria
  4. ↑ Catholic-Hierarchy: Current Dioceses in Syria
  5. ↑ GCatholic.org: Cathedrals in Syria
  6. ↑ John Platts (1825). A new universal biography, containing interesting accounts. Printed for Sherwood, Jones, and co. p. 479.
  7. ↑ Archibald Bower, Samuel Hanson Cox (1845). The History of the Popes: From the Foundation of the See of Rome to A.D. 1758; with an Introd. and a Continuation to the Present Time, Volume 2. p. 14.
  8. ↑ John Platts (1825). A New Universal Biography: Forming the first volume of series. p. 483.
  9. ↑ Pierre Claude François Daunou (1838). The Power of the Popes. Tims. p. 352.
  10. ↑ "Saint Sergius I | Pope".
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