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97-528: The structure is administered by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church . In 570, an Italian visitor described Nazareth's synagogue, and reported that the original Bible was still there, including the bench where Jesus used to sit. The floor of the Synagogue Church is sunken about 1.5 meters underground, possibly built atop a Crusader church dating from the 12th century. The church was under

194-1034: A first marriage consists of three distinct services: the Betrothal, the Mystery of Crowning , and the Taking off of the Crowns, but nowadays these are performed in immediate succession. There is no exchange of vows. Since its founding, the Church spread to different places and its leaders in each region came to be known as episkopoi (overseers, plural of epískopos , overseer—Gr. ἐπίσκοπος ), which became " bishop " in English. The other ordained roles are presbýteros (Gr. πρεσβύτερος , elder), which became "prester" and then " priest " in English, and diákonos (Gr. διάκονος , servant), which became " deacon " in English (see also subdeacon ). There are numerous administrative positions among

291-490: A new name is given, which becomes the person's name. Children of Orthodox families are normally baptized shortly after birth. Converts to Orthodoxy are usually formally baptized into the Orthodox Church, though exceptions are sometimes made. Those who have left Orthodoxy and adopted a new religion, if they return to their Orthodox roots, are usually received back into the church through the mystery of Chrismation. Properly,

388-516: A partition covered with icons , separates the area around the altar from the nave . The sign of the cross , accompanied by bowing, is made very frequently, e.g., more than a hundred times during the divine liturgy , and there is prominent veneration of icons, a general acceptance of the congregants freely moving within the church and interacting with each other, and distinctive traditions of liturgical chanting. Some traditional practices are falling out of use in modern times in sundry churches and in

485-435: A priest. They are encouraged to increase their prayer rule, adding the prescribed prayers in preparation for communing. Finally, they fast completely from food, drink, and sexual activity from the evening before, a time interpreted variously in sundry locations as: from arising from sleep, or from midnight, or from sunset the previous evening. When one who has committed sins repents of them, wishing to reconcile to God and renew

582-615: Is administered by a permanent synod , which includes the Patriarch and four bishops, the ordinary tribunal of the patriarch for legal affairs, the patriarchal economos who serves as financial administrator, and a chancery . In the Arab World and Africa , the church has dioceses in: Throughout the rest of the world, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has dioceses and exarchates for its diaspora in: In Western Europe ,

679-659: Is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church . Its chief pastor is Patriarch Youssef Absi , headquartered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus , Syria . The Melkites, who are Byzantine Rite Catholics, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch , formerly part of Syria and now in Turkey , of

776-401: Is an act of compassion of the Church towards sinful man. Ecclesiastically divorced Orthodox (not civilly divorced only). Should a married deacon or priest die, it is common for his wife to retire to a monastery once their children are out of the house. Widowed priests are not allowed to remarry (no priest may be married after his ordination) and also frequently enter monasteries. The order of

873-487: Is eternal. The Church does recognize that there are rare occasions when it is better that couples do separate, but there is no official recognition of civil divorces. For the Orthodox, to say that marriage is indissoluble means that it should not be broken, the violation of such a union, perceived as holy, being an offense resulting from either adultery or the prolonged absence of one of the partners. Thus, permitting remarriage

970-479: Is normally given immediately after baptism as part of the same service. It may also be used to formally receive again lapsed members of the Orthodox Church. As baptism is a person's participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, so chrismation is a person's participation in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost . A baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christian is a full member of the Church and may receive

1067-569: Is not reserved only for the dying or terminally ill, but for all in need of spiritual or bodily healing, and with reception of this sacrament comes forgiveness of sins. In Greece, during the Ottoman occupation, when parish priests were not allowed to hear confessions, it became the custom to administer this mystery annually on Great Wednesday to all believers so that all could commune the following days through Pascha. In recent decades, this custom has spread to many other locations. Two main strata exist in

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1164-453: Is of a shortage of married priests, a monk-priest may be assigned to a parish. A deacon or priest would have to abandon his orders, i.e. be liaised, to marry after ordination; it is common for widowed clergy to enter a monastery. Also, widowed wives of clergy, who are discouraged from remarrying, often become nuns when their children are grown. Only men can take holy orders, although deaconesses had both liturgical and pastoral functions within

1261-582: Is united to the Body of Christ by becoming a member of the Orthodox Church. During the service, water is blessed. The catechumen is fully immersed in the water three times, once in the name of each of the figures of the Holy Trinity. This is considered to be a death of the "old man" by participation in the crucifixion and burial of Christ, and a rebirth into new life in Christ by participation in his resurrection. Properly

1358-528: The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the midst of the Divine Liturgy with the rest of the church. The bread and wine are believed to be transubstantiated as the genuine Body and Blood of the Christ Jesus through the operation of the Holy Spirit. Communion is given only to baptized Orthodox Christians who have prepared by fasting, prayer and confession. The wine is administered with a spoon directly into

1455-639: The Byzantine Emperor , a term applied to them by non-Chalcedonians. Of the Chalcedonian churches, Greek Catholics continue to use the term, while Eastern Orthodox do not. The Greek element signifies the Byzantine Rite heritage of the church, the liturgy used by all the Eastern Orthodox churches . The term Catholic acknowledges communion with the Church of Rome and implies participation in

1552-505: The Catholic Church , it serves to unite a woman and a man in eternal union and love before God, with the purpose of following Christ and His Gospel and raising up a faithful, holy family through their holy union. The church understands marriage to be the union of one man and one woman, and certain Orthodox leaders have spoken out strongly in opposition to the civil institution of same-sex marriage . Jesus said that "when they rise from

1649-773: The Eucharist . The full cycle of services are usually served only in monasteries, cathedrals, and other Katholika (sobors). In monasteries and parishes of the Russian tradition, the Third and Sixth Hours are read during the Prothesis ( Liturgy of Preparation) ; otherwise, the Prothesis is served during matins, the final portion of which is omitted, the Liturgy of the Catechumens beginning immediately after

1746-603: 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 her separate existence, around 1725, one lay leader and theologian Abdallah Zakher of Aleppo (1684–1748) set up

1843-561: The Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople , is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian church of Constantinople . The canonical hours are extended and complex, lasting about eight hours (longer during Great Lent ) but are abridged outside of large monasteries . An iconostasis ,

1940-582: The Holy See under Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas in 1724. Those who rejected this move formed the extant Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The term Melkite – from the Syriac word malkā for 'king' and the Arabic word malakī ( Arabic : ملكي , meaning 'royal', and by extension, 'imperial') – was originally a pejorative term for Middle Eastern Christians who accepted the authority of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) and

2037-678: The Near East , the Melkite Church has also grown through intermarriage with, and the conversion of, people of various ethnic heritages as well as transritualism. At present there is a worldwide membership of approximately 1.6 million. While the Melkite Catholic Church's Byzantine liturgical traditions are shared with those of Eastern Orthodoxy , the church has officially been part of the Catholic Church since re-entering communion with

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2134-795: The United States (24,000), and other countries. According to figures by the Holy See in 2008, Lebanon is now home to the largest Melkite community in the Middle East (425,000), followed by Syria (234,000). There are more than 80,000 Greek Melkite Catholics in Israel and Palestine, and 27,600 Greek Melkite Catholics in Jordan. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is in full communion with the Holy See (the Latin Catholic Pope of Rome and his Roman Congregation for

2231-493: 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

2328-566: The troparion following the Great Doxology . The Midnight Office is seldom served in parish churches, except at the Paschal Vigil as the essential office, wherein the burial shroud is removed from the tomb and carried to the altar. The sundry Canonical Hours are, in practice, grouped together into aggregates so that there are three major times of prayer a day: Evening, Morning and Midday. The most common groupings are as follows: On

2425-567: The 1st century AD, where Christianity was introduced by Saint Peter . The Melkite Church, like many other Eastern Catholic particular churches, shares the Byzantine Rite with the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and other Eastern Orthodox churches . It is mainly centered in Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , Israel and Palestine . Melkite Greek Catholics are present, however, throughout the world by migration due to persecution of Christians . Outside

2522-652: 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

2619-571: The Eastern Churches ), where the Patriarch is represented by his Procurator at Rome , but fully follows the traditions and customs of Byzantine Christianity . The traditional languages of worship are Arabic and Greek , but today, services are held in a variety of languages, depending on the country where the church is located. The Melkite Synod of Bishops, composed of all of the church's bishops, meets each year to consider administrative, theological and church-wide issues. The vast majority of

2716-640: The Eastern tradition of Christianity, arguing that Latin rite 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

2813-527: The Eucharist regardless of age and, indeed, does so beginning at the first liturgy attended after chrismation, infant communion being the universal norm. The sanctification of chrism may, in theory, be performed by any bishop at any time, but in longstanding practice is performed no more than once a year by hierarchs of most of the autocephalous churches, although some autocephalous churches obtain their chrism from another church. Anointing with it substitutes for

2910-451: The Greek hierodeacon Sylvester of Antioch as a priest and bishop so as to take Jeremias' place. Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church – considered both "unyielding and uncompromising" by both supporters and opponents – as many Melkites acknowledged Cyril's claim to the patriarchal throne. Sylvester began a five-year campaign of persecution against Cyril and

3007-658: The Greek-speaking Eastern Romans (called "Byzantines" in modern parlance) had continued to identify themselves even when the Western Roman empire had ceased to exist. The name literally means 'Roman Catholic', confusingly for the modern English-speaker, but that refers not to the Latin Church but to the Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox "Byzantine" Roman heritage, the centre of gravity of which was

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3104-567: 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

3201-588: 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

3298-675: The Melkite diocesan priests in the Middle East are married . The current Patriarch is Youssef Absi who was elected on 21 June 2017. The patriarchate is based in the Syrian capital Damascus , but it formally remains one of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs claiming the apostolic succession to the Ancient see of Antioch, and has been permanently granted the styles of Titular Patriarch of Alexandria and Jerusalem, two other patriarchates with multiple Catholic succession. The patriarchate

3395-581: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has the following parishes and communities for its diaspora: Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine There are also several patriarchal organizations with offices and chapters throughout the world, including: Byzantine Rite Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The Byzantine Rite , also known as

3492-530: 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

3589-578: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church was the largest Christian community in Israel, with roughly 60% of Israeli Christians belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Due to the Christian emigration from the Middle East, São Paulo is now home to the largest Melkite community in the diaspora (estimated around 433,000), followed by Argentina (302,800). Other large Melkite communities can be found in Australia (52,000), Canada (35,000), Venezuela (25,400),

3686-575: The Melkite National convention in Birmingham in 1960, parts of which were televised on the national news. 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

3783-424: 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

3880-546: The Melkite faithful who supported him, enforced by Ottoman Turkish troops, forcing Cyril 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

3977-738: 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

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4074-719: The Nativity Fast, Apostles Fast, and Dormition Fast on days when the Lenten alleluia replaces "God is the Lord" at matins, which may be done at the discretion of the ecclesiarch when the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated. In addition to these public prayers, there are also private prayers prescribed for both monastics and laypersons; in some monasteries, however, these are read in church. These include Morning and Evening Prayers and prayers (and, in Russia, canons ) to be prayed in preparation for receiving

4171-418: 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

4268-406: The Russian tradition, on any day for Christmas, Theophany), Vespers (with the Liturgy in most instances) is served earlier in the day and so Great Compline functions much as Great vespers does on the vigils of other feast days. Baptism transforms the old and sinful person into a new and pure one; the old life, the sins, any mistakes made are gone and a clean slate is given. Through Baptism a person

4365-417: The Russian tradition, the " all-night vigil " is served in every church on Saturday nights and the eves of feast days (although it may be abridged to be as short as two hours) while elsewhere, it is usual to have matins on the morning of the feast; however, in the latter instance, vespers and matins are rather less abridged but the Divine Liturgy commences at the end of matins and the hours are not read, as

4462-435: 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

4559-420: The anti-Chalcedonians—who were predominantly Armenian or Coptic -speaking provincials. The Battle of Yarmuk (636) took the Melkite homeland out of Byzantine control and placed it under the occupation of the Arab invaders. Whereas the Greek language and culture remained important, especially for the Melkites of Jerusalem, Antiochene Melkite tradition merged with the Arabic language and culture. Indeed, there

4656-401: 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

4753-460: 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

4850-429: The cathedral rite of Constantinople, called the asmatiki akolouthia ("sung services") and the Palestinian Rite of Jerusalem, the Hagiopolitan (Gr. "of the Holy City") in Greek, chiefly through the monastic typikon of the Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem. Later developments were usually connected to monasteries at Constantinople and Mt. Athos patronized by the imperial court, such as Studion , whose Rule formed

4947-462: 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 . Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh took part in the Second Vatican Council where he argued against Latinization and championed

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5044-408: The church. This has fallen out of practice, the last deaconess having been ordained in the 19th century; however, in 2016, Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria decided to reinstate the order of deaconesses and, in February 2017, Patriarch Theodoros II appointed six nuns to be subdeacons. Anointing with oil, often called "unction", is one of the mysteries administered by the Orthodox Church and it

5141-407: The city of "New Rome" ( Latin : Nova Roma , Greek : Νέα Ρώμη ), Constantinople . 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),

5238-603: The clergy that carry additional titles. Bishops are always monks. Although someone who is not a monk may be elected to be a bishop, which frequently happens with widowed priests, he must receive a monastic tonsure before consecration to the episcopate. Deacons and priests, however, are typically married, and it is customary that only monks or married men be ordained. It is considered preferable for parish priests to be married as they often act as counsel to married couples and thus can draw on their own experience. Unmarried priests usually are monks and live in monasteries, though when there

5335-457: 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,

5432-399: The control of the Franciscans until the 18th century, when the ruler Zahir al-Umar passed it to the Greek Catholics. In 1887, the Melkite Greek Catholic parish church of the Annunciation was built adjacent to the Synagogue Church. According to Christian tradition, the church is built on the ruins of the ancient Nazareth synagogue where Jesus studied and prayed. Little is known of

5529-401: The day are read therein; otherwise, on or when the Liturgy is served at vespers, the typica has a much shorter form and is served between the ninth hour and vespers. Also, there are Inter-Hours for the First, Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours. These are services of a similar structure to, but briefer than, the hours. Their usage varies with local custom, but generally they are used only during

5626-438: 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

5723-401: The dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven" (Mk 12:25). For the Orthodox Christian this passage should not be understood to imply that Christian marriage will not remain a reality in the Kingdom, but points to the fact that relations will not be "fleshy", but "spiritual". Love between wife and husband, as an icon of relationship between Christ and Church,

5820-530: The diaspora, e.g., the faithful standing during services, bowing and prostrating frequently, and priests, deacons, and monastics always wearing a cassock and other clerical garb even in everyday life ( monastics also sleep wearing a cassock) and not shaving or trimming their hair or beards. In addition to numerous psalms read every day, the entire psalter is read each week, and twice each week during Great Lent , and there are daily readings of other scriptures; also many hymns have quotes from, and references to,

5917-423: The elements of Holy Communion , the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist , in the texts of the Divine Liturgy , the prayers before and after communion, and elsewhere, as, for example, in the first petition of the ectenia after communion, "Arise! Having partaken of the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly, life-creating, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord." Also termed

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6014-406: 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

6111-413: The eves before Great Feasts and, in some traditions, on all Sundays, this grouping is used. However, the All-night vigil is usually abridged so as to not last literally "all-night" and may be as short as two hours; on the other hand, on Athos and in the very traditional monastic institutions, that service followed by the hours and Liturgy may last as long as 18 hours. When the feast is a weekday (or, in

6208-461: The 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. In 1806, Germanos Adam ,

6305-405: The first of the Eastern churches to respond to the introduction of the filioque clause in the West. In 1724, Cyril VI Tanas was elected new Patriarch of Antioch . As Cyril was considered to be pro-Western, the Patriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople feared that his authority would be compromised. Therefore, Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and ordained

6402-409: 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

6499-436: 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

6596-437: 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

6693-418: 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

6790-422: 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

6887-407: The laying-on of hands described in the New Testament , and according to the prayer of consecration of chrism, the apostles made the initial chrism, laying their hands on it, for priests to substitute for laying on of hands for sundry practices, where only the apostles could perform said laying on of hands. The Eucharist is at the center of Orthodox Christianity. In practice, it is the partaking of

6984-449: The mistake made, and how to effect its cure. Because full participatory membership is granted to infants, it is not unusual for even small children to confess. Though the scope of their culpability is far less than an older child, they also have an opportunity for spiritual growth. From the Eastern Orthodox understanding of marriage , it is one of the holy mysteries or sacraments. As well as in many other Christian traditions, for example in

7081-407: The mystery of Baptism is administered by bishops and priests; however, in emergencies any Orthodox Christian can baptize. In such cases, should the person survive the emergency, it is likely that the person will be properly baptized by a priest at some later date. This is not considered to be a second baptism, nor is it imagined that the person is not already Orthodox, but rather it is a fulfillment of

7178-500: The night and day according to the following table: The typica is used whenever the divine liturgy is not celebrated at its usual time, i.e. , when there is a vesperal liturgy or no liturgy at all. On days when the liturgy may be celebrated at its usual hour, the typica follows the sixth hour (or matins, where the custom is to serve the Liturgy then) and the Epistle and Gospel readings for

7275-560: The nucleus of early monastic communities in Bulgaria and Kievan Rus' . In the early modern period, the traditions of the rite received further elaboration from the interface of Christian and Islamic mystical traditions fostered in the Ottoman court. By the mid-17th century, the practices of the Russian Church differed to those of other Orthodox Christians, who followed contemporary Greek practices. Patriarch Nikon made efforts to correct

7372-455: The number has no dogmatic significance and, up to the 17th century, individual authors varied greatly in the number of rites considered "mysteries". Despite the historical differences, modern Orthodox and Catholic faithful are generally united in viewing the West's seven sacraments and Orthodoxy's looser number of sacred mysteries—seven only by convention—as effectively equivalent. The Catholics regard

7469-420: 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

7566-533: 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. 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,

7663-510: 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

7760-580: 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

7857-420: The priest lays his hands on the penitent's head while reciting the prayer of absolution. Sin is a mistake made by the individual, but there is the opportunity for spiritual growth and development. An act of penance ( epitemia ), if the spiritual guide requires it, is never formulaic, but rather is directed toward the individual and their particular problem, as a means of establishing a deeper understanding of

7954-516: The proper form. The service of Baptism used in Orthodox churches has remained largely unchanged for more than 1500 years. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386), in his Discourse on the Sacrament of Baptism , describes the service; it is largely consistent with the service currently in use in the early 21st century. Chrismation grants the gift of the Holy Spirit through anointing with Holy Chrism . It

8051-444: The purity of original baptisms , they confess their sins to God before a spiritual guide who offers advice and direction to assist the individual in overcoming their sin. Parish priests commonly function as spiritual guides, but such guides can be any person, male or female, who has been given a blessing to hear confessions. Spiritual guides are chosen very carefully, as this is a mandate that once chosen must be obeyed. Having confessed,

8148-403: The recipient's mouth from the chalice. From baptism young infants and children are carried to the chalice to receive holy communion. Because of the Orthodox understanding of mankind's fallen nature in general, those who wish to commune prepare themselves in a way that reflects mankind in paradise. First, they prepare by having their confession heard and the prayer of repentance read over them by

8245-532: The rite is the product of a long cultural synthesis that developed in the years after the 8th-9th century Iconoclasm , in which monasteries and their cultural contacts with the Holy Land played a decisive role. From the 9th to the 14th centuries, the influence of the Palestinian Rite exerted a dominating influence and the rite has been called a "hybrid" between an earlier ceremonial rite which scholars have dubbed

8342-522: The rite, those places that have inherited the traditions of the Russian Church which had been given only the monastic Sabbaite typicon which she uses to this day in parishes and cathedrals as well as in monasteries, and everywhere else where some remnant of the cathedral rite remained in use; therefore, the rite as practiced in monasteries everywhere resembles the Russian recension, while non-Russian non-monastic customs differs significantly. For example, in

8439-565: The sacred mysteries is a broad theological category including the seven sacraments defined in the Western Church but differing slightly in emphasis—stressing their ineffable character and forgoing the intense theological definitions which emerged in the centuries following the Reformation . Although all modern Orthodox churches customarily observe the same seven sacraments as in Catholicism ,

8536-437: The scriptures woven into them. On the numerous fast days there is prescribed abstention from meat and dairy products, and on many fast days also from fish, wine, and the use of oil in cooking. Four fasting seasons are prescribed: Great Lent , Nativity Fast , Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast . In addition, throughout the year most Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as Mondays in monasteries , are fast days. In its present form,

8633-644: 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,

8730-655: The three apostolic patriarchates of the ancient patriarchates : Alexandria , Antioch and Jerusalem . 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. Those who accepted the decrees of the council, the Chalcedonians , were mainly Greek -speaking city-dwellers, and were called Melkites ('imperials') by

8827-427: The translations of texts and institute liturgical reforms so that they were aligned with Greek practices. Nikon's reforms were not accepted by all, and the resulting schism ( Raskol ) split Russian Christianity into the present Russian Orthodox Church and the historically persecuted Old Believers , who maintained many archaic practices of worship. The "Holy Mysteries", or "Sacred Mysteries", or similar, refer to

8924-509: The two as identical. Divine Liturgy The divine liturgy may be celebrated on most days, the exceptions, known as aliturgical days , being in or near Great Lent . Typically, however, the liturgy is celebrated daily only in cathedrals and larger monasteries but elsewhere only on Sundays, major feast days, and some other days, especially during Great Lent. These three forms of the eucharistic service are in use universal usage: The daily cycle begins with vespers and proceeds throughout

9021-409: The universal Christian church. According to Church tradition, the Melkite Church of Antioch is the "oldest continuous Christian community in the world". In Arabic , the official language of the church, it is called ar-Rūm al-Kāṯūlīk ( Arabic : الروم الكاثوليك , lit.   ' [Eastern] Roman Catholic '). The Arabic word Rūm means 'Romans', from the Greek word Romaioi by which

9118-539: The years Jesus spent in Nazareth, leading scholars to describe this time as "the hidden life" or " the silent years ". It is thus all the more significant for Christian visitors to find a lone place where such silence is broken – the Synagogue Church. 32°42′12″N 35°17′48″E  /  32.70333°N 35.29667°E  / 32.70333; 35.29667 Melkite Greek Catholic Church The Melkite Greek Catholic Church , or Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church ,

9215-685: Was Arabic Christian poetry before the arrival of Islam , but the 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

9312-487: 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

9409-527: 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 reposed on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2001. He was succeeded by Archbishop Lutfi Laham, who took the name Gregory III. Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Israel, and the second largest in Lebanon. As of 2014

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