Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas, also known as Cyril VI of Antioch, was the first leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church following the schism of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in 1724.^[1][2] Cyril re-established communion with the Roman Catholic church.

Life

Seraphim Tanas of Damascus was a nephew of Euthymios Saifi, bishop of Sidon. Like many of his fellow clerics he favored re-establishing communion with the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected in 1724 by the Melkite bishops and clergy of Syria as the new Patriarch of Antioch, and was consecrated as Cyril VI in the patriarchal cathedral of Damascus on September 20, 1724 by Neophytus, Bishop of Saidnaya.^[3] As Cyril was a prominent pro-Westerner, the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremias III, felt his authority was challenged. Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and appointed Sylvester of Antioch, a Greek monk, to the patriarchal See of Antioch on September 27, 1724.

The sultan withdrew the recognition initially conferred on Cyril, who was forced to flee as emissaries of Sylvester arrived from Constantiople with a mandate for his arrest. Cyril took refuge at the Holy Savior Monsastary near Sidon, located in mondern-day Lebanon. Cyril's safety there was guaranteed by the Shehab emirs.

Although the populace of Aleppo was mainly pro-Catholic in sentiment, the people initially supported Sylvester. However, Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church, and many Melkites chose to acknowledge Cyril VI as patriarch instead. The people united against Sylvester, forcing him to flee Aleppo.^[4] The Greek domination over the Byzantine Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch lasted until 1899.

In 1729, five years after Cyril's election, Pope Benedict XIII recognized Cyril as the legitimate Patriarch of Antioch and welcomed him and his followers into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.^[5] From this time onwards, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has existed separately from and in parallel to the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in the Middle East.

See also

• Patriarch of Antioch

Notes

References

External links

• Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem
• L'Église Melkite/The Melkite Church.
• Melkite Catholic Web Ring.
• Extensive history of the Melkite Church

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