Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Baalbek

Eastern Catholic archeparchy in Lebanon

Archeparchy of Baalbek (Melkite Greek)

Archeparchia Heliopolitana Graecorum Melkitarum

Location
Country| Lebanon
Statistics
Population
- Catholics| (as of 2010)
20,000
Parishes| 7
Information
Denomination| Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Rite| Byzantine Rite
Established| 18 November 1964 (60 years ago)
Cathedral| Saint Barbara Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope| Francis
Patriarch| Youssef Absi
Archeparch| Elias Rahal, SMSP

Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Baalbek (in Latin: Archeparchia Heliopolitana Graecorum Melkitarum) is a diocese of the Catholic Church immediately subject to the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Melkites. It is currently governed by Archbishop Elias Rahal.

## Territory and statistics

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The archeparchy includes the northern part of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Its Archeparchial seat is the city of Baalbek, where is the Saint Barbara Cathedral. In 2012 there were 20,000 baptized and its territory is divided into seven parishes.

## History

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Baalbek is an ancient seat, already known in the fourth century by the name of Heliopolis of Phoenicia. It has had a presence of Catholic Bishops since 1701, when its bishop sent a profession of the Catholic faith to the Pope in Rome. This profession is still preserved in the archives of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Baalbek was a suffragan of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus until it acquired its autonomy in 1849.

The cathedral with the bishop's palace were built during the episcopate of Germanos Mouakkad; the church was consecrated by Eparch Agapitos Malouf in 1897. Bishop Germanos Mouakkad was the founder of the Society of the Missionaries of St. Paul.

On November 18, 1964 this eparchy was elevated to the rank of archeparchy.

In 1997 was celebrated the centenary of the dedication of the cathedral and the nineteenth centenary of the arrival of the first bishop of Baalbek / Heliopolis.

## Eparchs and Archeparchs

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* Partenios (Haddad?) (1680 - 27 October 1722 deceased)
* Makarios (1724 -?)
* Basilios Bitar, BC (31 March 1754 - 1 January 1761 deceased)
* Philippe Qussayr, BC (1761 - July 24, 1777 deceased)
* Benoit Turkmani, BC (April 13, 1785 - November 22, 1808 deceased)
* Clément Moutran, BC (1810 - July 3, 1827 deceased)
* Etienne (Athanasius) Ubayd, BC (11 December 1827 - 1850 deceased)
* Elias (Meletios) Fendeh (14 November 1851 - 1st or September 10, 1869 deceased)
* Basilios Nasser (October 17, 1869 consecrated - September 26, 1885 deceased)
* Germanos Mouakkad, BS (March 16, 1887 consecrated - February 1894 resigned)[1]
* Agapitos Malouf, BC (March 29, 1896 - February 12, 1922 deceased)
* Meletius Abou-Assaleh (5 June 1922 consecrated - June 27, 1937 deceased)
* Joseph Malouf, SMSP (October 5, 1937 - March 5, 1968 deceased)
* Elias Zoghby (September 9, 1968 - October 24, 1988 withdrawn)
* Cyril Salim Bustros, SMSP (October 25, 1988 - June 22, 2004 appointed archeparch, personally, of Newton)
* Elias Rahal, SMSP (since 28 June 2004)

## References

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1. ^ archive.org

## External links

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* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbaal.html
* http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/baal0.htm
* http://www.pgc-lb.org/fre/melkite_greek_catholic_church/Archeparchy-of-Baalbeck
* http://booksnow2.scholarsportal.info/ebooks/oca2/4/dictionnairedhis06bauduoft/dictionnairedhis06bauduoft.pdf

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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

* Catholic Church portal

34°00′25″N 36°12′14″E﻿ / ﻿34.0069°N 36.2039°E﻿ / 34.0069; 36.2039
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