Back الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية Arabic ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ ARC السريان الكاتوليك ARZ Сірыйская Каталіцкая Царква Byelorussian Сирийска католическа църква Bulgarian Església Catòlica Siríaca Catalan کڵێسای کاسۆلیکی سوریانی CKB Syrská katolická církev Czech Katolëcczi Kòscół Syrijsczégò Òbrządkù CSB Syrisch-katholische Kirche German
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
| Syriac Catholic Church | |
|---|---|
| ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ | |
 | |
| Type | Particular church (sui iuris) |
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | |
| Scripture | Peshitta[1] |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Ignatius Joseph III Yonan |
| Region | Near-East; Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey with communities in United States, Canada, France, Sweden, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Australia |
| Language | Syriac, Aramaic |
| Liturgy | West Syriac Rite |
| Headquarters | Beirut, Lebanon[2] |
| Founder | Traces ultimate origins to Apostles St. Paul and St. Peter Through Patriarchs Ignatius Andrew Akijan (1662) and Ignatius Michael III Jarweh (1782) |
| Branched from | Church of Antioch[3] |
| Members | 153,415 (2018)[4] |
| Official website | syr-cath |
 |
| Part of a series on |
| Particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church |
|---|
  |
| Particular churches are grouped by liturgical rite |
| Alexandrian Rite |
| Armenian Rite |
| Byzantine Rite |
| East Syriac Rite |
| Latin liturgical rites |
| West Syriac Rite |
|
Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Catholic liturgy  Catholicism portal Christianity portal |
| Part of a series on |
| Assyrians |
|---|
 |
| Assyrian culture |
| By country |
| Assyrian diaspora |
| Language |
| Subgroups |
| Religion |
| By location |
| Persecution |
The Syriac Catholic Church[a] is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris (self-governing) particular church that is in full communion with the Holy See and with the entirety of the Catholic Church.[5] Originating in the Levant, it uses the West Syriac Rite liturgy and has many practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. The Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic, is the liturgical language used by the Church.[6] There are about 160,000 Syriac Catholics, with the majority in Syria and Iraq, along with a smaller community in Lebanon and an overseas diaspora. It is one of the smaller Eastern Catholic churches based in the Middle East.[7]
The Syriac Catholic Church traces its history and traditions to the Church of Antioch established by Saint Peter. The Diocese of the East under the Patriarch of Antioch included the western Middle East along the Mediterranean.[6] The Church of Antioch was split following the Council of Chalcedon in 451 over disagreements on Christology, with the Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian churches becoming part of Oriental Orthodoxy after rejecting the outcome of the council.[8] A decree of unity between the Syriac Orthodox Church and Rome was made at the Council of Florence in 1444 but it was quickly annulled by the Syriac hierarchy. After missionary work led to conversions to Catholicism among Syriac Christians in the 17th century, one of them, Andrew Akijan, was elected as the Syriac Patriarch of Antioch in 1662. After his death in 1677, rival Catholic and Orthodox Syriac patriarchs were elected between then and 1702. The current line of Syriac Catholic patriarchs of Antioch began in 1782, when Michael Jarweh declared himself in communion with the pope of Rome after being elected by the Syriac Orthodox Holy Synod.[9]
The church is headed by Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan, who has been the patriarch since 2009. Its patriarch of Antioch has the title of Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriacs and resides in Beirut, Lebanon.[b] The seat of the Syriac Catholic patriarch was moved several times due to persecution of the Church. Michael Jarweh established the monastery of Our Lady in Sharfeh, Lebanon, which is also currently the site of the seminary and printing house of the Syriac Catholic Church.[9]
- ^ Studia Humana Volume 2:3 (2013), pp. 53—55
- ^ "Syriac Patriarchal See of Antioch". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Church of Antioch". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ Eastern Catholic Churches Worldwide 2018
- ^ CNA. "Eastern Rite Sui iuris Catholic Churches". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance | Syriac Catholic Church in the United States of America". Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Bishop discusses situation of the Syriac Catholic Church in Lebanon". Aid to the Church in Need. 24 August 2022.
- ^ "General History". Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, Archdiocese for the Eastern United States. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ a b Roberson, Ronald (26 October 2021). "The Syrian Catholic Church". Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).