Eparchy of Latakia (Maronite)

Eparchia Laodicenus Maronitarum
Location
CountrySyria
Statistics
Population
- Catholics
(as of 2011)
35,000
Parishes32
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchMaronite Church
RiteWest Syro-Antiochene Rite
Established4 August 1977
CathedralOur Lady of Latakia Cathedral
Patron saintOur Lady
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
PatriarchBechara Boutros al-Rahi
EparchAntoine Chbeir
Bishops emeritusElias Khoury Sleman

The Maronite Eparchy of Latakia or Latakia of the Maronites (in Latin: Eparchia Laodicenus Maronitarum) is a Maronite Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Syria. As of 2011, there were 35,000 members. The current eparch is Antoine Chbeir.

Territory and statistics

It is immediately subject to the Maronite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, not part of any ecclesiastical province.

The territory includes the city of Latakia, where is located the Our Lady of Latakia Cathedral,[1] in Latakia, the former Laodicea ad Mare.

The territory is divided into 32 parishes and in 2011 there were 35,000 Maronite Catholics.

History

Until the eighteenth century the Maronite patriarchate was formally divided into eparchies: in fact the bishops were all considered as auxiliary of the Patriarch, the only true leader of the Maronite nation. The bishops of Laodicea, like other Maronite bishops, in fact, had only the title of their home, and pursues not any real jurisdiction and do not even have a place to reside.

The Synod of Mount Lebanon in 1736, which at the request of Propaganda Fide decided the canonical erection of the Maronite diocese, gave no consideration to Laodicea, which therefore continued to be the seat of a titular bishop. The territories that were formally part of Laodicea were subdued by the synod of authority of the Tripoli Eparchs.

On April 16, 1954, with the decree Quo aptiori,[2] the Congregation for the Oriental Churches decided to steal the territories of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tripoli of the Maronites who were in the Syrian's area under the authority of the archeparch of Aleppo and to entrust them to the administrator apostolic of Latakia (a missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, directly subject to the Holy See).

On August 4, 1977 the Apostolic Administration was raised to the status of Eparchy (Diocese), and the same time was suppressed the Titular see.

Titular Bishops

  • Jean Estephan (November 1732 - 1743 named eparch of Beirut)[3]
  • Nicolas Murad (5 December 1843 - 10 January 1863 deceased)[4]
  • Joseph Foraifer (11 February 1872 - ?)[5]
  • Paul Akl (22 February 1919 - 19 September 1959 deceased)

Episcopal ordinaries

Apostolic Administrators of Latakia

Non-suffragan Eparchs (Bishops) of Latakia

See also

Sources

  • Pontificio Annuario, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano, 2003, ISBN 88-209-7422-3.

References

  1. Gcatholic
  2. in AAS 47 (1955), p. 611, Vatican.va
  3. [Pierre Dib, Maronite (Eglise), in Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique, Tome Dixième, première partie, Paris 1928, col. 81. Anche Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastique VIII, col. 1336.]
  4. p. 199. Anche Dictionnaire d'histoire et ... VIII, col. 1320.
  5. [Inserito da Catholic Hierarchy in Diocese of Laodicensis in Phrygia.]
  6. News.va

35°30′56″N 35°46′35″E / 35.5155°N 35.7765°E / 35.5155; 35.7765

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