Maronite Church
Maronite Church: a Church sui iuris of the Antiochene (West Syriac) tradition. Status, head, countries, books, history, and sources. A map and sourced facts.
- Tradition (CCEO can. 28 §2)
- Antiochene (West Syriac) tradition (Source: CCEO, vatican.va ↗)
- Catechism (CCC 1203)
- Maronite (Source: Catechism, vatican.va ↗)
- Canonical status
- Patriarchal Church sui iuris (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Head
- Cardinal Béchara Pierre Raï (Patriarch) (as listed by GCatholic on 22 October 2026) (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Historical centre
- Antioch (Antakya) (historical region of origin: the monastery of Saint Maron, between Aleppo and Antioch) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Present see
- Bkerké (patriarchal residence since 1790) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Liturgical books
- Maronite Qurbono (West Syriac, with East Syriac and Latin influences; essentially a variation of the Liturgy of St James per CNEWA). Current Maronite missal edition title not verified. (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- Own jurisdiction in
- Angola, Argentina, Australia, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cyprus, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, The Gambia, Togo, Turkey, United States (41) (Source: GCatholic ↗) As listed on 22 October 2026.
- Approximate historical heartland
- Mount Lebanon; northern Syria (origins) (Lebanon, Syria) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- Note
- The Catechism (CCC 1203) lists the Maronite rite by name; CCEO can. 28 §2 places it within the Antiochene tradition. Both classifications are shown. (Source: Catechism, vatican.va ↗)
Where it has its own jurisdiction
Showing the Maronite Church, present jurisdictions: 41 countries.
Countries where the Maronite Church has its own jurisdiction: 41 countries.
Countries with the Church's own jurisdiction; faithful elsewhere are served by local ordinaries.
Countries shaded (41)
- Angola
- Argentina
- Australia
- Benin
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Colombia
- Cyprus
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- France
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Israel
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mexico
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Palestine
- Republic of the Congo
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- The Gambia
- Togo
- Turkey
- United States
Source: GCatholic ↗, as listed on 22 October 2026.
Borders are illustrative (Natural Earth, de facto lines) and imply no position. Shading shows where a Church has its own jurisdiction, not where all its faithful live. Made with Natural Earth ↗ (public domain). Sources and method.
History
- late 4th to 5th c. Disciples of St Maron; monastery between Aleppo and Antioch (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- by the 8th c. Move to Mount Lebanon; distinct church identity with a patriarch (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1182 Formal confirmation of union with Rome (Maronite tradition holds communion was never broken) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1736 Synod of Mount Lebanon (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1790 Patriarchs reside at Bkerké (Source: CNEWA ↗)
Dates are given as ranges or centuries where the sources give no single date.
Texts and resources
Every resource is an outside link; nothing here is hosted by Bibliotheca Catholica. What the badges mean.
In the library
- Ephrem the Syrian Syriac Father and hymnographer
Main sources: CNEWA ↗. Checked 2026-10-26. Sources and method.