The news was communicated at the end of the Synod of Melkite Bishops held in Raboueh, Lebanon, from June 19 to 24. The general title of the program of celebrations will be: “The Greek-Catholic Melkite Church: The Ecumenical Journey 1724-2024.”
The commemoration will include liturgical celebrations, lectures, publications, and historical and theological studies, as well as exhibitions on the spiritual and artistic heritage preserved by the Melkite communities in the Middle East.
The Greek-Catholic Melkite Church was established in 1724 on the initiative of Seraphim Tanas, elected that year Patriarch of Antioch under the name of Kyrillos VI. This election was contested by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who excommunicated Seraphim Tanas and imposed another patriarch, Sevestro of Aleppo, on the see of Antioch.
Kyrillos had to flee to Lebanon to avoid being arrested by the sultan’s guards. It was not until July 8, 1729 that the Holy See, in a decree published by Propaganda Fide, approved the “valid and free” election of Kyrillos VI, who thus became the first patriarch of the Melkite Catholic Church.
The Melkites follow the Byzantine Rite, celebrates the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and use Arabic as a liturgical language alongside Greek. About 1.7 million Catholics belong to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
The Greek-Catholic Melkite Patriarchate extends its jurisdiction to all Catholics of the Byzantine Rite residing in the territory of the ancient Patriarchates of Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, as well as to the communities born in the diaspora.
The celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the restoration of full communion of the Melkite Church with the Church of Rome will begin in Damascus on November 11, with a solemn liturgy presided by Patriarch Youssef Absi in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition.