Syriac Catholic Church
Syriac Catholic Church: a Church sui iuris of the Antiochene (West Syriac) tradition. Status, head, countries, liturgical books, history, and sources.
- Tradition (CCEO can. 28 §2)
- Antiochene (West Syriac) tradition (Source: CCEO, vatican.va ↗)
- Catechism (CCC 1203)
- Syriac (Source: Catechism, vatican.va ↗)
- Canonical status
- Patriarchal Church sui iuris (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Head
- Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan (as listed by GCatholic on 21 October 2026) (Source: GCatholic ↗)
- Historical centre
- Antioch (Antakya) (historical centre of the Antiochene tradition) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Present see
- Beirut (patriarchal residence) (Source: Wikidata ↗)
- Liturgical books
- Unverified Syriac (West Syriac) books based on the Anaphora of St James and other anaphoras; current approved editions per Church not verified. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1912) describes the rite, not current editions. (Source: Catholic Encyclopedia ↗)
- Own jurisdiction in
- Canada, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United States, Venezuela (13) (Source: GCatholic ↗) As listed on 21 October 2026.
- Approximate historical heartland
- Aleppo, Mosul/Nineveh, Mardin region, Beirut (Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey) (Source: CNEWA ↗)
Where it has its own jurisdiction
Showing the Syriac Catholic Church, present jurisdictions: 13 countries.
Countries where the Syriac Catholic Church has its own jurisdiction: 13 countries.
Countries with the Church's own jurisdiction; faithful elsewhere are served by local ordinaries.
Countries shaded (13)
- Canada
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Palestine
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Turkey
- United States
- Venezuela
Source: GCatholic ↗, as listed on 21 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
- 1626 Jesuit/Capuchin mission at Aleppo (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1662 to 1702 First Catholic patriarchal line (Akhidjan elected 1662); ends 1702 (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1782 Michael Jarweh elected; unbroken succession since (Source: CNEWA ↗)
- 1831, then 1850, then early 1920s Patriarchate at Aleppo, then Mardin, then Beirut (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.