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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique

Patriarchate
See of
Antioch

Patriarch
of
Antioch

Patriarch
Gregorios III

Melkite Greek
Catholic Church

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique is one of the approximately 22 particular Churches in the Catholic Communion, that Melkite Greek Catholic Church is "Ecclesiastical Communion" with the Holy See of Rome (The Roman Catholic Church).

Melkites are a Catholic Church. The official name of the Melkite Church is The Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique. The Patriarchate of Antioch has one Patriarch / Batriyark of Antioch and three Sees: See of Antioch (Damascus), See of Alexandria (Cairo) and See of Jerusalem (all Arab Countries). The Patriarchate of Antioch is headquartered in Bab-Charqi-Damascus, Syria; Cario, Egypt; Jerusalem, Holy Land; and Raboueh-Antelias, Lebanon and is centered in the Middle East (such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey). A history of this Church is available.

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholiques a Catholic Church within the Greek variant within the Byzantine Rite within the Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) Great Tradition of Eastern Catholicism.
Melkites follow Greek variant of the Byzantine Rite in worship, theology, and spirituality.
Then, Melkites are sometimes called "Eastern Catholics" or "Byzantine Catholics" or "Greek Catholics".

The Divine Liturgy, customs, etc. were set about 500-600 AD. The usual Divine Liturgy is the Divine Liturgy of Our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom. (He was born, baptized, and ordained in Antioch.)

Melkites are the present day Catholics:

Who are the Church of Antioch (Patriarchate of Antioch, See of Antioch)
"19. Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews. 20 There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas [to go] to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, 24 for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. 25 Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." (Acts 11:19-26)
Who are in Ecclesiastical Communion with Holy See of Rome
Ecclesiastical Communion means that Melkites recognize primacy of the Holy See of Rome and that direct successor (the Patriarch of the West) of The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Peter in the primacy. That direct successor, the Patriarch of the West, is the "first among equals". "Equals" are the other Patriarchs, one of which is The Patriarch / Batriyark of Antioch (See of Antioch).
The title given to the Patriarch of the West (Holy See of Rome) as the direct successor of The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Peter in the primacy is "Pope". The current Patriarch of the West and Pope is His Holiness John Paul II.

Melkites are the "Catholic" in the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church".

Melkites serve as a witness to the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Melkites are a living example that one can be true to a different heritage and be in communion with the Holy See of Rome, which is represented by the Pope.

Name

In the West, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique is called "Melkite Greek Catholic".

In the Middle East, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church is generally known in Greek as "Room Katuleek" and in Arabic as "Rumi Kathuliki". Both phrses is literally mean "Roman Catholic". In these titles, Rome refers not to the City of Rome in Italy, but to the the city of Constantinople. Constantinople was called the New Rome, after the "fall" of Rome.

Also, in the Middle East, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church is also known in French as "Grec Melkite Catholique" (this phrase is used by the Patriarch), "Grec Melchite Catholique" and "Grecs Catholiques". The first two phrases literally means "Melkite Greek Catholic" and the third prase literally means "Greek Catholics". The word "Greek" in those phrases and in "Melkite Greek Catholic" refers to the Greek language and culture brought to the Middle East by Alexander the Great. At the time of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Greek was the spoken and written language in the major cities of the Middle East and of well educated people. The New Testament was written in Greek, with the exception of the original Gospel of Matthew. Also, the writings of the most important Church Fathers were composed in Greek. The language of the Liturgical Services of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church was Greek.

Very Brief History

The beginnings of The Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique (the story of the first Christians) is documented in the Book called Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Antioch is the second most frequently mentioned city in Acts of the Apostles.
Unofficial History of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church / Grec Melkite Catholique

His Excellency, Bishop John Elya Answers

Distinction between Melkites and Other Eastern Catholics: "Perhaps the question is best phrased: What makes our Melkite Church distinctive?"
The Bishop Answers Eparchy of Newton, (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States) Click on Questions Related to the relationship between the Christian Churches R2

More Information

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Eparchy of Newton Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States

Courage to Be Ourselves The Christmas 1970 Pastoral Letter of His Excellency, Archbishop Joseph Tawil of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States

How the Church is Structured? St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Church, Akron, Ohio

Melkites are often Misunderstood, Even by their Fellow Catholics Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States

Our Church's Many Names? St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Church, Akron, Ohio

What is an Eastern Church? St. Joseph Melkite Catholic Church, Akron, Ohio

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
Web URL address: Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center or https://www.mliles.com/melkite/
E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is an unofficial Melkite Greek Catholic Web site and has not been reviewed or approved by any Melkite clergy person.
Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center contains a range of World Wide Web sites on Melkite faith, belief, practice, history, etc. Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center does not endorse any World Wide Web site nor takes any responsibility for the contents of any World Wide Web site. Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center offers these links with the understanding that Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center can not vouch for any of the contents on each site. Listing a site does not indicate acceptance nor endorsement of the doctrines / ideas / theology of the World Wide Web site. Please remember that Web sites will change their content and their location. It is the user's responsibility to decide whether or not the content on a particular World Wide Web site is appropriate.

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.